Farm closes for week after crowds overwhelm tulip fields

What was meant to be an early celebration of Spring in Modesto is now on pause. Dutch Hollow Farms announced it will close for the rest of the week after overwhelming crowds took a toll on its tulip fields, which bloomed three weeks earlier than expected.

The farm had been open Monday until 6 p.m., with visitors lining up before the gates opened. But owners now say they are unsure when they will be able to reopen as they work to protect what remains of this season’s bloom. Roughly 250,000 tulips and daffodils were planted in December, transforming this Central Valley patch into a colorful tribute to Dutch culture.

“My parents immigrated from the Netherlands in 1960 to California,” said co-owner Johnm Bos. “We’re bringing a touch of our heritage to the people of the Valley.”

Bos said the tulips were inspired by his mother and her love of flowers. “My dad would always say in his thick Dutch accent, ‘It’s an introduction to Springtime,'” said Bos. But that early introduction brought thousands of visitors with it.