Tulip farming in Skagit Valley, Washington

For hundreds of years tulips have been packaged and transported around the world – a testament to people’s love for the colorful blossom. First domesticated in the Ottoman Empire, tulips quickly became a status symbol in the Ottoman royal court. In fact, the word tulip is derived from the word turban – a nod toward the visual similarity between the two.

Section:Gallery

Sat., May 13, 2017

Mike Flory and Bonnie Branch take a selfie amid a sea of color on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at Tulip Town near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Tourists take in the colorful sights of Washington tulip blooms on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at Tulip Town near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Ruben Guzman laughs as he prepares to fly a kit with his girlfriend Vanessa Salcido on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at Tulip Town near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Jeannette DeGoede laughs as she talks about founding Tulip Town and the joy tourists get when they visit her fields on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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XXXXXX snaps a photo in a RoozenGaarde tulip field on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Workers top tulips as tourists mingle and snap photos at Tulip Town on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Jane Royce, 7, right and her brother Jordan Royce, 8, jump up and down in a RoozenGaarde tulip field on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Workers pick tulips on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at Tulip Town near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Brent Roozen holds a tulip in his family's advanced flower processing facility on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Worker Irma Angon, center lifts a bundle of tulips from one of RoozenGaarde's indoor growing bins to a crate for shipping on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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A bouquet of tulips lands on a conveyer belt at RoozenGaarde's tulip processing facility on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at near Mt. Vernon, Wash.

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Scott Chang sorts through tulips grown on his family farm on Monday, April 24, 2017, at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Wash.

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