Tulip Time Ambassador Maggie Tabberer swapped her trademark “Maggie T” whites for garden-friendly black to plant the last of 100,000 Tulip Time bulbs in Corbett Gardens on Friday.
Ms Tabberer said she was thrilled to be this year’s ambassador and looked forward to being involved in an event she had admired for so long.
“I distinctly remember my first Tulip Time,” she said.
“I had come into town to get some groceries and I was furious because there were buses absolutely everywhere and I couldn’t get a parking space.
“When I finally parked I went into Corbett Gardens to see what all the fuss was about and I thought ‘oh, no wonder so many people have come here. It’s absolutely beautiful’.”
Ms Tabberer’s first official duty was planting the final bulb in the 2008 display under the watchful gaze of Mayor Gordon Lewis, the Tulip Time Committee, and Jet the Black Dog Institute mascot.
“I’m clearly not a gardener. My first attempt at planting a tulip and I dig up a bulb that was already there!” she said.
“But I know where it is and I’m looking forward to coming back in September to see how my flower has grown.”
This year’s stunning floral display will help raise money for the Black Dog Institute, whose mission is to advance the understanding, diagnosis, and management of mental health disorders.
For the full story see the Southern Highland News, Monday, May 14