© David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Boston-based artist Eleanor Scor paints tulips in the Boston Public Garden.The tulips in the Public Garden have been blooming since 1840. But every year, when the motley crowds burst into the gray winter landscape, a feeling of joy arises with them.
“This is a true harbinger of the beginning of spring in Boston,” Anthony Hennessy Sr., Inspector of Horticulture for the Boston Department of Parks and Recreation, wrote in an email.
Currently, the tulips and other flowers grown by the Hennessy team are on display and visitors can enjoy the brilliant show.
With more than 60 properties across the city, including Community Garden, Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, Columbia Road, Blue Hill Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard, putting on a spring extravaganza requires "tremendous coordination and behind-the-scenes activity." work," Hennessy said.
But the staff is always on the job, working with garden partners, garden clubs and community groups to carry on the tradition.
“Because Community Garden is the premier botanical garden in North America, our goal is to bring this level of horticultural excellence to every landscaping project we undertake,” he says.
We reached out to Hennessy to find out more about this season's deals and the flowers people will be picking as they explore the city.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How much work is required to prepare this flower arrangement for spring?
The real part of planning next spring's tulips begins the spring before. Sellers in the Netherlands send out posts about new varieties of tulips and I usually try to include some interesting new varieties for the square and other places. For example, after the marathon tragedy, a variety called "Boston" was bred, namely the yellow-brown Triumph tulip. In spring we exhibit them in the Plaza.
I am taking inventory of what we need for all of our manufacturing space and bids will go out to vendors this summer. Usually in October, the bulbs are delivered to the Franklin Park greenhouses. Last year around this time I was expecting the bulbs to be shipped, and it turned out that the truck that shipped them was "hiding" on Memorial Drive. The tractor-trailer hit a low bridge and all the light bulbs blew out. Needless to say, this adds a lot of stress to tulip season while I wait for replacements to arrive. Luckily the winters are mild and my staff are growing everything.
Are we in the middle of tulip season?
The next two weeks are the main peak for tulips. As long as it's not too hot during the day, 70 degrees [or more], and cold at night, between 40 and 50 degrees, the tulips can keep their color for about two weeks.
The tulips that we plant in the garden will bloom in a few weeks. Some bloom early (Triumph tulips), some mid-season (Darwin hybrids), and some late spring (late singles; tubers).
What do you hope to see in the park this year?
Several new varieties or "mixtures" were introduced this year. Look for raised beds at the Community Garden and other gardens, such as Charlestown's Winthrop Square, where up to three different colors and varieties are planted close together.
Sellers mix these varieties because the colors and flower types complement each other. Mixed strains include "Bicycle Kick" and "Checkmate".
What is your favorite part about tulips and spring?
Many of the tasks that we work on with my team are based on a long tradition. The mass planting of tulips was introduced to the square in the late 19th century by then Superintendent William Doug. Though social media isn't there yet, Doug's massive planting of colors draws the attention of the huge crowds that come to see his displays. Attracting people to the street to enjoy something beautiful is the unspoken task of the tulip.
This is a Boston tradition that is close to my heart and one that I will always follow.
