Lovingly Cared For Blooms Like You've Never Seen Before
experience how tulips can become a source of happiness at Rural Route Bulbs, Fall Creek's U-pick-flower farm
Driving through the clearings between Eau Claire and Fall Creek, it’s easy to see why this environment has been considered a growing hidden gem of the Chippewa Valley.
With everything from apple orchards to berry farms – and now, even U-pick tulip farms – much beauty continues to bloom there.
Rural Route Bulbs (Co Hwy J, Fall Creek), just a hop and a skip from Eau Claire, is preparing for a bloom season like never before. This May, the family-owned farm will burst into color with over 40,000 tulips and daffodils – in 70-plus different varieties for locals to enjoy.
For Jody Wilhelm, co-owner of Rural Route Bulbs, the act of working in the flower fields quiets all the noise. There’s something special about being out with her flowers in the early morning, she notes, where closed buds begin to transform into full blooms as the sun rises.
“Life can get a little wild sometimes – with all the demands of everything that is important to us,” Wilhelm said. “Creating a place where people slow down can feel like a breath of fresh air.”
Wilhelm and her husband, Aaron, both came from multi-generational backgrounds in farming and agronomy – prior to beginning Rural Route Bulbs in 2020. Their separate business venture, A&J Agronomy, provides crop consulting and soil sampling services to farmers across the Chippewa Valley.
“I have never had a job where I got to make so many people so happy. It’s just one of the most wonderful places to be.” –Jody Wilhelm, owner of Rural Route Bulbs
This extensive knowledge and experience with Fall Creek’s topography gives the husband-wife duo a much deeper understanding of the needs and growing patterns of tulips.
“I really love agronomy so much, plants are just amazing – the soil is just amazing,” Wilhelm beamed. “The (tulip) flowers you pick don’t come from seeds, they come from bulbs. It takes three to seven years for a seed to become a flower producing bulb.”
“There is a lot of time spent on tulips; All of these things work together… I am a huge agronomy nerd,” she continued.
With a deep connection to the land and respect for nature, each detail of the farm offers an opportunity to not only educate customers, but to create a place where traditions and joy coalesce together.
For just $30 per tulip bundle, locals who stop by Rural Route Bulbs are provided their own mason jar to wander through the fields – picking and choosing what varieties will make that perfect, personalized bouquet.
The owners of Rural Route Bulbs are continually astonished by the vast array of tulips in their collection to discover and appreciate, often finding it difficult to choose favorites.
“One of my personal favorites is called the ‘El Nino,’ it’s a variegated yellow, red(ish), orangey and has purple tones in it,” Wilhelm said. “And the flower is huge, it’s almost as big as my hand.”
Wilhelm actively encourages a sense of adventure with customers – as there is no time limit or maximum number of tulips that can be picked to fit into a jar. Consider the outing as a micro-vacation for friends, or a fun interactive activity for the whole family, she said.
Wilhelm will also offer pre-made tulip and daffodil bouquets for customers, as Mother’s Day, May Day and graduation season approaches.
Rural Route Bulbs has reopened for business from late April through May; the owners follow nature’s schedule, coinciding with the peak bloom of the tulips. As their season continues, new event offerings are also in store for more intimate experiences amongst the flowers.
This May, locals can enjoy the beauty of spring with new “Morning In The Tulips” and “Tulips At Twilight.” Both experiences – whether you prefer an early sunrise or a picturesque sunset – are sure to be an all-inclusive treat for you and your loved ones.
“I have never had a job where I got to make so many people so happy,” Wilhelm said. “It’s just one of the most wonderful places to be.”
Visit ruralroutebulbs.com to learn more about the Wilhelm’s story and offerings in the 2026 U-pick-tulip season. Events at Rural Route Bulbs – “Morning In The Tulips” and “Tulips At Twilight” will occur from May 8-10, rain or shine.
