Petal Pushers
Popular North Texas tourist attraction soon will bloom for San Antonio
What do the TV show Dallas and the Netherlands have in common? They are both responsible for inspiring Texas Tulips, the cut-your-own flower field in Pilot Point that soon will be blooming in Central Texas, too.
Texas Tulips' newest field is currently underway at 15122 FM 775 in La Vernia, about 25 miles southeast of San Antonio. The operation allows patrons to stroll through massive rows of tulips and cut their own flowers from a field of thousands of blooms.
According to owner Pieter Koeman, Texas Tulips should open in mid-February 2020 and close in late March/early April, depending on the weather.
It's the latest endeavor from a family with a long floral history. Koeman grew up in the Netherlands, where his mother and father operated an 80-acre tulip farm for more than 40 years.
After his father's death in 2011, Koeman, finding inspiration from an unusual source, decided to move to Texas.
"The idea to open a tulip farm in Texas originally came from when I was young and was watching Dallas, the TV show, with my family. We always loved that show, and we were fascinated by Texas," Koeman says. "When my dad passed away, we saw an opportunity to go to Texas and start a u-pick tulip farm there."
In 2015, Koeman and his wife, Petra, opened the first Texas Tulips on a six-acre field in Pilot Point, an hour north of Dallas. The farm was a hit in North Texas and inspired the family to head south for its second outpost.
Like its North Texas farm, Texas Tulips' La Vernia location will offer pick-your-own flowers from a field of thousands. For $5 entrance fee, visitors can select tulips from a variety of colors, all priced $2.50 per stem. Discounts for veterans, seniors, and students are also available.
And, because this is the age of social media, and it doesn't get more Instagrammable than a massive field of blooming tulips, the company also offers a day-long, $25 photographer package.
"We love spreading the joy of tulips to people, as it's one of those simple pleasures of life," Koeman says. "The tulip is such a happy flower and one of the first signs of spring."
