What to Know
- Thursday, March 1 through Sunday, May 13
- Carlsbad
- The biggest bloom generally arrives a few weeks after opening
You might want to pause and run by your nearest paint store, all to pick up some swatches that boast a bouquet of shades in pink and yellow and red, in all of their very vibrant variations.
For putting a name to the hues of the colorful Giant Tecolate Ranunculus that spring up, each spring, at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, is not so easy to do.
For sure, the basic color wheel terms do quite nicely — pink and yellow and red are fine — but you may want to break out Melted Cotton Candy and One Minute After Sunset while describing the almost unearthly colors seen at the seasonal attraction.
These kaleidoscope-worthy hues come along in April, generally, in profusion, but The Flower Fields open for the season before the biggest bloom fully arrives.
Which all to say this: The agricultural attraction is now welcoming visitors, as of March 1.
And, as is tradition at the floral landmark, Mother's Day will be the final open date of the season. That's Sunday, May 13, which you surely know, since you already kindly booked a brunch spot in honor of your mommy.
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It isn't just about the ranunculus, though, at the flowery spread, which covers almost 50 acres.
There are special events, too, throughout its multi-week run, with photography workshops, live music shows, after-hours happenings, and floral arranging lessons, too.
There's a sweet pea maze, too, in 2018. A sweet pea maze! An exclamation point felt right there, so we went for it.
A few early buds made a showing in the fields in January and February, but keep in mind that, as of Feb. 24, the fields were "... still pretty green."
The upshot?
You'll want to watch the social media updates from The Flower Fields to see when the Big Bloom arrives.
Capitalizing "Big Bloom" felt right there, so we went for it. For if you've ever seen these fields at peak petal power, you'll know that all of the exclamation points and capital letters can't accurately convey the visual excitement delivered by the bright sweeps of color.
Admission prices? Find them here.
Visiting on a weekday during the Big Bloom? Always a superb idea, for you can guess that weekends do see quite the sizable potpourri of ranunculous fans.
Which leads us to ask this question: Are there more petals on the ranunculus flowers at The Flower Fields in any given season or are there more visitors over that same exact season?
We'll pick "petals," with some hesitancy, but this might make for a fine question to discuss with your philosophical friends as you languidly stroll among the famous flowers.
