It might be winter elsewhere in the country. But in San Diego, signs of spring are already here.
The Giant Tecolote Ranunculus are in bloom at the Carlsbad Flower Fields.
“That’s a great showing on opening day,” said Taylor Moss, The Flower Fields' marketing and operations manager.
The flowers come in 13 shades, from white, pink and red to yellow and orange. More than 80 million flowers are expected to bloom across the 55-acre farm over the 10 weeks that it’s open to the public.
“I would say right now we have about a third of our field in bloom,” Moss said.
That's more than on opening day in previous years, she said, because of the warm, sunny weather San Diego's been experiencing.
"That sun and extra warmth allowed our fields to germinate faster, which resulted in the big blooms," Moss said. "So, the sun is our friend on that case.”
But there are more than just flowers at the Carlsbad ranch. New this year is an expanded butterfly encounter. The 1,000-square-foot enclosure was built from the ground up. It's "bigger, bolder, better," Moss said.
Plus a St. Patrick's Day-themed 5K, where participants get to run around the entire flower fields on March 15, before they open to the public.
“And, you know, we have some wellness classes that we've never done before," Moss said. "Meditation, yoga, sound bath. We're really excited.”
Also new this year is a rotating lineup of pop-up vendors showcasing local businesses. So, it'll be a different experience every week, she said.
But one of the most common questions she gets asked is, "What do you do with all the flowers?"
“We actually let the flowers fully mature and die," Moss said. "We mow them down and get the bulbs underneath, and we sell those all around the United States so you can grow Flower Fields ranunculus at home.”
The Flower Fields are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from March 1 through Mother's Day weekend. Tickets are only available online and must be purchased in advance.
