HEAVY rain may have postponed tulip picking this week but plans are all still on track for this year’s Spalding Flower Parade.
The fields will remain a sea of colour for just a few days longer after the weekend of rain, hail and storms before gangs move in to pick the 1.3million heads needed for the floats in the 54th annual parade on May 5.
Parade manager Kathleen Codd, who has been keeping a close eye on the weather, said: “We have just postponed it to keep an eye on the weather. We have ten days and if we pick when it’s wet and put them into cold storage they might lose their colour. The gangs are on standby and ready to move at a day’s notice.”
This year the flowers have been grown by Belmont Nurseries, based at Terrington St Clement.
Heading to attach the tulips to the floats is due to be done on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before the parade.
Kathleen added: “We have no concerns about not having them. It would be nice to have them safely stored but the closer they’re picked to the parade, the better the tulips.”