How to Care for Tulips - Tips From a Florist
Wednesday Mar 30, 2022 By: Samantha
Tulips are just the thing to liven up your days during the rainy month of April. These beautiful spring blooms are unique in that, unlike most flowers, they will grow and change each day. This can cause some customers to ask, what’s the best way to care for and maintain a tulip bouquet?
Here are our florist approved tips for taking care of your cut tulips! When choosing a vessel for your tulips, it’s best to select a vase that is at least half as tall as the flower stems or taller. As you cut the flower stems throughout the week, you can transfer your tulips to a shorter vase. A clean vase is very important for long-lasting tulips. Be sure to wash your selected vase with soap and water before use. This eliminates any harmful bacteria that may have been left over from past use. Make sure all of the soap has been rinsed out well before adding your flowers! Changing the Water Tulips are extremely thirsty flowers! Add cold water to the vase and fill it 3/4 of the way up. You will want to change the water in the vase at least every other day or once a day possible. Rinse out any leftover pieces of greenery each time you change the water. If not changed, tulip water can become slimy and bacteria filled. Changing the water will keep your flowers healthy and extend their lives! Cutting the Stems & Removing Leaves Before putting tulips in the vase, hold the stems to the outside of the vase to determine how tall they should be. When you change the water every other day, give your stems another trim. A fresh cut makes it easier for the tulip to drink up the water through its stem. Remove any leaves or foliage that is below the water line also. Tulip leaves that are under the water level tend to decompose quite fast. Take off any leaves that don’t look healthy. Keeping Tulips Standing Tall Tulips love to bend and evolve over time, but if you are trying to maintain straight tulips, here are some myths and tips! Pennies: You may have heard that adding a penny to your vase of tulips will keep the flowers standing up tall. It’s hard to test this one since pennies are no longer in circulation in Canada! However, even if you happen to have access to a penny, they apparently don’t include enough copper in them anymore to make this method effective! Pins: When your tulips start to get a bit droopy, stick a pin through the throat (the very top of the stem) of the flower, making a small hole. This helps to release air that gets trapped in the stem and allows water to be absorbed into the head of the tulip. We have tested this trick and have had succes. Try it out with your tulips and let us know how it goes!
Picking a Vase
Have you got any tried and true methods for keeping tulips standing tall? We would love to hear them. Let us know in the comments below!
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