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The tulips are in full bloom at Terra Ceia Farms in Pantego, but they won’t last long. Prime viewing is now and co-owner Mark Van Staalduinen doesn’t expect them to last much longer. (Steve Barnes/Washington Daily News)

Tulips of many colors span row after row along Terra Ceia Road in Pantego.

However, they won’t last much longer, so take an hour or so out of your day to see them while you can.

Terra Ceia Farms co-owners Casey, Carl and Mark Van Staalduinen thought it would be a good idea to plant some leftover bulbs two years ago to help lift the community’s spirit in the throes of COVID-19 restrictions.

The third generation owner-operators remember planting the tulip bulbs as kids, but it had been a long time since the field, clearly visible from the road, had been ablaze in the spring.

“We just thought it would be a neat thing to try,” Mark Van Staalduinen said. “Our families held good memories of the tulips in the spring and we wanted to try to cheer people up. It was a family thing to do outside and it worked out pretty well.”

In April of 2020, multiple rows of multi-colored tulips lit up the landscape in front of the main entrance off Terra Ceia Road. Thousands enjoyed the view and social media blew up with their photos to prove it.

It was too wet to plant last year, but the tulips are back for brilliant encore this spring.

“People seemed to really like them two years ago and we were able to them in the ground around Valentine’s Day,” Van Staalduinen said. “The timing has to be just right and there’s a little luck involved, but it looks like we hit it again this year.”

Terra Ceia Farms ships world-wide and has an extensive online catalog. They sell the bulbs in the fall, but don’t sell any flowers at the retail store at the farm.

There’s no charge to see the tulips, but picking them is off limits.

“It’s a fun thing for us to do and good advertising for the farm,” Van Staalduinen. “They don’t last very long and peak viewing will probably be this weekend. A good rain before then could wipe them out, so people should come sooner rather than later.”

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