Keriann and Jeroen Koeman own one of the most beautiful sites you will see this spring, Wicked Tulips Flower Farm, comprising several acres of over 700,000 colorful, refreshing, absolutely beautiful tulips.

The tulip story all began in 2009 in Virginia, where Keriann met Jeroen Koeman, from a family of Dutch tulip farmers. The Koeman family in Holland is known for their high quality tulips and talented tulip farming.

While in Virginia, Jeroen knew he wanted to do his own thing, and that’s when EcoTulips farm started in 2015 with Holland importing tulips.

Keriann remembers, “When EcoTulips first started on a quarter acre land, he ordered too many tulips, so we had a surplus and that’s when we came up with the idea for the tulip u-pick. At first I doubted anything would come of it, but the first year we had about 1,000 people, and now we get at least 2,000 a day!”

In 2019, the couple moved from their home in Virginia to Massachusetts, starting the Wicked Tulips Flower Farm in Exeter, R.I., on Fog House Hill Road. Tulip farming makes for a busy, busy life, so to make things easier, they combined EcoTulips with the flower farm in Exeter and are now under the wonderful, one and only brand-name Wicked Tulips Flower Farm.

The Exeter farm has grown from two acres in the beginning, to now seven.

Keriann says, “It was a long time dream of Jeroen’s to start a tulip farm in the States. His entrepreneurial spirit really helped things get moving quickly.”

But some people said they were crazy. Despite that, they always believed in themselves and knew it was going to be a success based on their experience in Virginia.

Now they have added a second farm in Preston, on the Gasparino Farm on Route 164, which will showcase another 300,000 or more flowers for you and your family and friends to enjoy.

Exeter will open first in late April, early May, with Preston opening after that around Mother’s Day.

They’ve perfected their use of natural bulbs and healthy soil to grow the best quality tulips you can find in an environmentally friendly farm, which means a more diverse selection. And those same high quality bulbs are available for you to buy on their online store to have them shipped right to your home.

Of course visitors also can enjoy a u-pick session in which you can walk around and pick your very own 10-tulip bouquet to bring home.

However, the experience is a bit different this year, due to COVID regulations, but they are still open for curbside pickup for online orders and drive through u-picks. But be sure to bring your own bucket, for your safety and fun.

Tickets are sold online, by the hour, for social distancing purposes. Some use their visit as backgrounds for family or wedding photos by hiring their own photographer.

For information about Wicket Tulips, visit wickedtulips.com or find the farm on Facebook.

The website also gives tips on caring for your tulips at home, how to protect them from pesky critters, and even how to create a healthy bee garden. On Youtube, there is even a Wicked Tulips channel.

In 2023, Keriann and Jeroen Koeman expect to open another tulip farm in Johnston, R.I. Just like the tulips, they keep growing and growing.

“Despite any difficult times we’ve gone through this year, it’s always just a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by their beauty,” Keriann said. “We feel so lucky to be so successful and to have gotten so much support, it’s pretty amazing.”

Shannon Sweatland is a resident of Preston.