It’s flower-time here in Carlsbad. From March 13 until May 9, fifty sloping acres adjacent to Palomar Airport Road will be arrayed like royalty with pink, yellow, white, red and orange stripes of giant Ranunculus blooms.
Carlsbad’s world-famous Flower Fields attract over 150,000 visitors every year during this two-month peak season, many of whom return year after year to meander through The Fields and marvel at what man and nature can do when they work together.
The strain of Ranunculus flower grown at The Flower Fields is called the Tecolote® Giant Ranunculus. It is native to Asia Minor, and a member of the buttercup family. The flower is also known as the Persian Buttercup or Ranunculus Asiatic.
Only about 1-2% of the flowers grown are sold (which is about one million flowers). They primarily grow the flowers to harvest the bulbs. The ranch harvests about 6-8 million bulbs per year.
"The Flower Fields" is spelled with a capital letter in front of each of the three words. This was the official name given tothe fields in 1993, after Carlsbad residents had been referring to them unofficially as "the flower fields" for years.
The Flower Fields are owned by the Paul Ecke Jr. Family and its affiliates, the same people that own the Paul Ecke Ranch, world-famous Poinsettia growers, in neighboring Encinitas.
Flower Fields History: An English immigrant named Luther Gage planted the first Ranunculus flower seeds in North America when he settled with his family in San Diego County. He cultivated the flower on his ranch with the help of some local workers. One of those workers, Frank Frazee, now a Ranunculus-growing expert, passed his expertise onto his sons, and the Frazee family started its own Ranunculus ranch. The business began to grow quickly in the 1930s, and after the Frazees moved the ranch twice, the fields landed in Carlsbad in 1958. People were naturally attracted to the richly-colored fields, and over the years more and more people came to see the ranch. Carlsbad's residents came to consider the flower fields as part of their local heritage. In 1993, the Frazee family ended their ownership of ranch, but the tradition continues.
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isit www.theflowerfields.com for more information about hours, tickets, and tours.
