The Future of Winter Tulip Forcing

Is It Still Sustainable?

Growing tulips in winter has never been the easy road, but lately, it’s starting to feel like a road with no clear map. Between the shifting tulip industry, rising costs, and increasing unpredictability, I’ve found myself asking the same question over and over: Is this still sustainable?

And I don’t just mean for me - I mean for small farmers, for customers, for the entire system that allows winter tulips to exist at all.

A Perfect Storm of Costs & Uncertainty

We’ve already talked about how global supply chain disruptions - from port strikes to shipping delays - have made sourcing bulbs more complicated. And we’ve talked about how Holland’s unpredictable growing seasons have led to shortages, smaller bulbs, and an overall dip in quality.

But what’s hitting hardest right now? The cost of bulbs themselves.

I want to be completely transparent: this year, I paid an average of $0.68 per tulip bulb, including freight. That price is already significantly higher than it was just a few years ago. But for 2026 production, some of my most reliable suppliers are telling me to prepare for prices to double - or even triple.

There’s one pink double tulip I’ve grown every year - one that used to be easy to source at a reasonable price. The farms in Holland are now saying that for next season, that same variety will cost three times as much as it did this year. I didn’t pay that much for it this year, but if their projections hold, I’ll have to decide whether it’s even possible to grow it next season.

And it’s not just the price - it’s the availability. Fewer bulbs are being produced, demand has skyrocketed, and that means growers like me have to make decisions faster than ever.

The Ordering Window Keeps Moving Earlier

It used to be that I could place my tulip bulb order in late spring or early summer and still have access to a wide selection of varieties. Now? I have to place my orders nearly a year in advance.

Every year, the ordering window creeps earlier, and every year, the pressure to secure bulbs before they sell out gets worse.

In 2021, I placed my order in May without any issues.
In 2022, I placed my order in May and had a few varieties canceled in October when they were shipping.
In 2023, I had to lock in my order by early April as varieties were already selling out - and still had some cancellations in October.
In 2024, I had to order by the early April, and a significant number of varieties were canceled in October.
This year? A lot of suppliers are asking for orders by the end of March - in a month!

This isn’t just frustrating - it’s a huge financial risk.

When I could place my order in May, I had just finished my tulip season. I knew exactly which varieties I loved and which were a definite pass for the next year. Now? I haven’t even seen half of them bloom yet. Do I even want those varieties again? I have no idea, but I have to make a decision anyway.

And don’t even get me started on weddings. I wish clients would book a whole year in advance - believe me - but most don’t. Trying to predict floral trends, the number of stems needed, and the specific colors my wedding clients will request is a feat onto itself. But I still have to guess how all my sales will play out, especially with Blooms in the Burbs tulip shares.

Tulips aren’t like seeds - if I need to bump production, I can’t just adjust things mid-season. Tulips are a done deal. Once suppliers close orders - let’s say, this year in March - that’s it. No more changes - and if additional are allowed - the best varieties are sold out.

What It Actually Costs to Grow a Winter Tulip

Right now, wholesale winter tulips sell for $1.80 to $2.20 per stem. But retail is typically three times this price.

If wholesale prices for winter tulips rise to $4 per stem, I’m not sure how retail florists - or even my own retail floristry - will handle that shift. Pricing bouquets, wedding florals, or even everyday tulip bunches at those rates would make it incredibly difficult to sell them at a price that makes sense for customers.

And unlike field-grown flowers, winter tulips aren’t just about buying bulbs and planting them. They require an immense amount of labor, infrastructure, electricity, and planning - something I broke down in detail in my last post.

At what point does the price become too high for customers? And at what point does it stop making sense for me to grow them at all?

What Are the Options for Moving Forward?

There are a few ways this could go.

I could keep growing winter tulips, but that would mean raising prices to match the increasing costs. Whether or not customers will be willing to pay those prices is a big unknown.

I could scale back production, focusing only on varieties that are more affordable to grow, but that means cutting some of the most unique tulips that make these winter blooms special.

I could shift away from winter tulip forcing entirely and focus more on spring field-grown tulips. This would eliminate the costs of heating, cooling, and infrastructure needed for forcing, but it would also mean no more tulips in the winter.

One thing I cannot do is source tulip bulbs from the U.S. Tulip bulbs simply cannot be produced at scale in this country. The climate isn’t right, the infrastructure doesn’t exist, and the expertise remains entirely in the Netherlands. Holland has been growing tulips for centuries, and their entire agricultural system is built around it. Even if the U.S. started growing tulip bulbs today, it would take decades to reach the quality and quantity needed to support flower farmers like me.

No matter which way this goes, something has to change.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I love growing winter tulips. I love the challenge, the beauty of seeing flowers bloom in the darkest months, and the excitement of bringing something truly seasonal and special to customers when nothing else is available.

But I also have to be realistic. If production costs continue climbing, and if wholesale bulb prices keep rising at this rate, there’s a real possibility that winter-forced tulips could become unsustainable for small farms like mine.

That’s why I want to hear from you!

Do winter tulips mean something special to you?
Do you see them as something worth the higher cost, even as prices rise?
Or would you be just as happy waiting until spring for tulips grown in the field?

I’m weighing all these factors as I plan for next season, and I’d love to know where you stand. Because at the end of the day, this only works if it works for all of us