IF YOU'VE EVER PURCHASED... a packet of seeds, be they daisies or petunias, you know that planting them, and waiting for those first little sprigs of green to pop up through the soil, can be much like waiting for the proverbial pot of water to boil. Nature is on her own timeline, for the most part, and even though spring may arrive, not every leaf will burst on every tree in unison. This is a good thing to keep in mind as you plan your trip to The Flower Fields, the Tecolote Giant Ranunculus-laden landmark located in Carlsbad. The famous buds found at the attraction are some of the most colorful, hue-tastic, eye-bright things to be found on this planet or any other, but the flowers don't all pop up at once on opening day. Or they could, depending on the weather, but what we're saying is this: Get excited to see this wonder of a sight, but keep tabs on the social media for The Flower Fields, to get a sense of when the petals are at optimum bloom. Nature, however, doesn't impact the traditional opening day of The Flower Fields, which forever and always sticks to a memorable date, which is...
THE FIRST DAY OF MARCH: Like Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow (or not) on February 2, and Valentine's Day hearting-up February 14, The Flower Fields debut for the season on a very specific date each and every year: Yep, it's March 1, just a couple of weeks ahead of the spring equinox. From there the buds get to growing in all of their glorious pinks and yellows and whites and oranges, and special events burst into being, too, like tractor rides through the showy scene. There are almost fifty acres of ranunculus-style goodness to take in, so the whole day out at the Carlsbad attraction can become, well, a whole day out. But when does it all wrap, you ask? Ah, that's another tradition strictly observed by the photo-ready attraction: Mother's Day is the final goodbye for the season. That gives you, dear flower fans, some ten weeks, give or take, to take in one of the ocean-close community's most visual destinations. But how are those flowers doing this year? Keep an eye over here, bud buffs.
