Tulips: The Flower That  Always Looks Right

Tulips might be the easiest flower to arrange in a vase. Here are some tips on how to guarantee you get the most for your money.

Tulips have always been up there as one of my favorite flowers, right along anemones and peonies. A bunch of tulips is what I will turn to when I know I  don’t have much time to arrange, or, when I want a flower that needs no fillers or additional flowers involved. It’s also the flower my husband knows is always safe as a choice to bring home. Ever watch men agonize at the flower shop? It’s not easy. Ladies, teach your men that tulips are always a good choice.

Here are a few tips on how to handle tulips, successfully: 

Remove some leaves.
Tulips have lots of leaves. You want to remove some of the outer layers, typically 2 or 3 leaves. This allows for a prettier bouquet and a longer life in the vase. Leaves in the water tend to rot, ruining the quality of the water. Leaves should never be in water.

See the difference? The “clean” tulips are on the right.

Also, it is common to come across a tulip that is starting to rot. You will notice the stem is limp or moldy. If you see that, discard the flower as it will affect the other healthy flowers.

Now you are ready to trim the tulips. You always want to trim, even if you want to keep the length. ¼ inch trim is enough too. But trimming is always important, so that the flower can drink properly.

Measure the flowers in the vase that you are planning to use, and see how tall you want them, then trim. These are the shears that I love, I wrote about them in this post here.

Fill your vase with fresh water and place a penny in it. Why a penny, you ask? I wasn’t sure myself so I Googled it and I learnt that pennies are considered a smart way to keep flowers alive longer because copper is a fungicide, so it naturally kills off those pesky bacteria and fungi that are trying to camp out in your flowers’ vase and shorten the lifespan of your stems. 

Definitely worth a try, agree? So, in goes a penny.

When using two colors of tulips, I like to arrange the stems on the counter so I know they are mixed well, and only then, gather them and place them into the vase.

And…you are done! Your bouquet is ready. And it will last, this time. 

Remember! Tulips drink a lot of water! Keep checking the water level and add as needed. You will be amazed how fast they drink!

Tulips are affordable enough that if you want a nice effect you can buy a few bunches and place them in a large vase. As the days go by, they will grow in the vase and take a life of their own, following the light and branch out.