Biltmore celebrates Spring with Tulips in the Walled Garden from March 20th, the first day of Spring until through May 24th.
Photo by Doug Coldwell
Every spring, Biltmore plants thousands of tulips at the Estate Entry and in the Walled Garden.
Photo by Doug Coldwell
Biltmore Blooms: Tulips in the Walled Garden
Yellow, orange, pink, and purple Darwin hybrid tulip are a favorite part of Spring at the Biltmore Estate.
March till Early April
Darwin hybrid tulip varieties begin blooming in the Walled Garden and Estate Entry.Mid-April
Darwin hybrid tulips are usually at peak in the Walled Garden and Estate Entry.Late April till May 24th
Single late tulips fill the Walled Garden, Estate Entry, and Winery beds, until the last week.
Photo by Doug Coldwell
How Do the Blooms Last So Long?
Biltmore gardeners plant more than 50,000 tulip bulbs. They put in several varieties of tulips, up to six bulbs per hole. That way there is always something blooming.
Photo by Doug Coldwell
Nearly 100 Years of Tulips
Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Walled Garden to be a Vegetable and Flower Garden. It would provide fresh flowers, vegetables and fruit for the House. He thought it should be a kitchen garden, like a traditional English walled garden. The wall would protect tender vegetation from wind, weather and hungry animals.
George Vanderbilt preferred it to be an ornamental garden. So, instead of putting out early lettuce, the Walled Garden has welcomed tulips every spring for nearly a century. Tulips are fitting, honoring the Dutch heritage of the Vanderbilts.
Even when the House was a private home, the Vanderbilt family opened the gardens to the public during the Spring.
Photo by Doug Coldwell
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