Tulip Care

Tulips have long been revered as the flower of spring, along with the daffodil,crocus and hyacinth. Growing your own tulips for the landscape or for flower arranging is a worthwhile investment. Unfortunately, the flower impact fades after the inital spring so I treat tulips as an annual.

As a cut flower they also require a bit of maintenance. The idea of gathering a bunch of blossoms and casually arranging the tulip stems in a vase will not give you the results desired. Follow these steps below to ensure your freshly cut tulips last and maintain their shape.

1. It's best to pick your tulips in the early morning.

2. Cut the stem as long as possible.

3. Wrap the stems in newspaper so they are cradled.

4. Place the bundle, with cut end down, into a pitcher of ice water.

5. Let set for at least 2 hours. The stems tend to curve and while wrapped in water the tulips will maintain stem strength.

6. Choose a tall enough vessel for your arrangement. This will ensure the tulips don't flop.

7. Tulips continue to grow after being cut so change the water daily and trim the stem ends.
   

I like to purchase my bulbs from a local tulip farm, Wicked Tulips. They sell the most luxurious tulips and the bulbs are healthy and firm.

https://wickedtulips.com/

Learn more about tulip history here..

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/gardens-landscapes/history-of-tulips