BRIGHTWOOD — Holland native Jeroen Koeman is establishing his own kind of roots in Madison County.
The 28-year-old “Tulip Man” started an organic farm, EcoTulip, with his wife, Keriann, in August. The couple import bulbs from Holland and plants them in their backyard. Spread over 10,000 square feet, 40,000 pesticide-free bulbs have bloomed into colorful rows of tulips.
Visitors are welcome to pick their own tulips for a small fee.
“This will be the last weekend that they’ll be this pretty because of the hot weather,” said Jeroen, who is no stranger to the omnipresent springtime flowers. He grew up on a tulip farm in Holland and was planning to return to his native country until he met his wife in Charlottesville.
The only difference between his family farm and the one he just started is that his is eco-friendly.
“We want to promote a healthy and green lifestyle,” said Jeroen, standing near his show garden Thursday morning. “Our goal is to promote positive change in the tulip industry, which currently uses more than one million pounds of pesticides a year. EcoTulips focuses on quality and invests in environmentally friendly products.”
In a much smaller second garden next to their small cottage, the couple created a show garden featuring labeled tulips for visitors to view and select their favorites.
After they’re plucked from the Earth, Jeroen says, tulips typically last about 10 days in water.
“The organic tulips last a couple days longer,” said Keriann.
Throughout the rest of the year, the Koemans are busy with online pre-order bulbs and partnering with schools, churches and nonprofit organizations, helping to raise money for various fundraisers. For the charities, EcoTulips offers daffodils, grape hyacinths and irises.
“We are still developing that program, so the flowers are changing,” said Jeroen.
Jeroen also has a field report on his Web site, EcoTulip.com, where he posts the progress of his flowers via descriptions and photos.
“People can go online to see what it looks like,” he added.
About the business
EcoTulips is located in Brightwood (Madison County) at 3320 Lillards Ford Road. Hours of operation: Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information, call Jeroen Koeman at (434) 242-6369, e-mail jeroen@ecotulips.com or visit EcoTulips.com.
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