The Dallas Arboretum officially kicked off the spring season Feb. 24 with Dallas Blooms, which features hundreds of thousands of tulips that are beginning to pop up from the soil. The sun appeared just in time for the event.
Paul Little, a veteran volunteer at the arboretum, said that early-blooming, mid-blooming, and late-blooming tulips have been planted across the 66-acre property to ensure a continuous bloom throughout the season.
“The bloom should last around six to eight weeks with the continuous blooming tulips,” Little said.
Dallas Blooms is among the largest flower festivals in the southwest. This year, the event is highlighting various cultures around the world with the theme, “A World of Flowers.” Each week the arboretum will feature a different region from around the world and offer a number of activities and attractions for visitors of all ages.
The centerpiece of the event features a slanted garden replicating the image of the world map.
The event began with the first week featuring France, and included a number of activities and events supported by the Alliance of France French Culture Club, including a mime for French entertainment.
The arboretum began to fill up just as the sun began to shine in the afternoon. The warm weather is an incentive to draw crowds of people to the floral experience.
“The Arboretum is the perfect place for a picnic. We had a picnic and walked around and are coming back next weekend to see what else blooms by then,” John Hewitt said on visiting the Blooms last Saturday.
The Dallas Arboretum offers outdoor events for a beautiful day in Dallas for only $15 per person for general admission. Visitors are encouraged to bring picnics, games, great walking shoes and a camera. There are fountains for children to play in, countless gardens to enjoy, daily activities, restaurants, and the DeGolyer home to tour.
Oil tycoon and Southern Methodist University alum Everette DeGolyer originally owned 44 acres Of the 66 acres that are now the Dallas Arboretum. Following DeGolyer’s death, he left it all to Southern Methodist University.
“After [DeGolyer] died he left his property to Southern Methodist University, the 44 acres and the house. [DeGolyer] envisioned SMU using the property as an outreach post for the college,” arboretum tram driver James Prock said.
According to Prock, when the university found that the land was too expensive and not close enough to uphold, the school eventually sold the property and built the DeGolyer Library, which still stands on the campus today. The 22 acres adjacent to the DeGolyer’s estate belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Alex Camp. The Camp property was purchased and combined with the DeGolyer property’s 44 acres in the late 1980s when the arboretum opened.
The Dallas Arboretum will feature weeks inspired by the Mediterranean, Europe, A Taste of the World, Asia, and the Americas. Dallas Blooms will continue through April 8.
