Tulip Tricks & Tips
Tulips are amazing, but it’s helpful to have a few little tricks in your back pocket!
An armful of fresh, white tulips.
Tip #1: Use basic flower care
The first thing to note is that tulips are just like other cut flowers! If you follow the care tips I share in the document below you are off to a great start!
Tip #2: Tulips like it cold
Tulips love cold water! When you refresh your tulips' water, run the tap for a moment to make sure it is really cold. I sometimes add ice to my water and the flowers love it!
My daughter adding ice to a vase we are about to fill with tulips.
Tip #3: Give your tulips plenty of fresh water
Tulips drink lots of water. Make sure you are refreshing the water daily (& give those stems a trim while you’re at it!)
Tip #4: Tulips love to dance
Tulips dance. They stretch and sway, dip and bend.
You have some choices when it comes to tulips and dancing …
Embrace the dance - watch them change every day - it’s pretty magical.
Place your tulips in a supportive, tall vase with very little wiggle room.
If you want to try to straighten your tulips, try these steps:
Trim the stems at an angle with sharp snips
Clean your vase and fill it with very cold (maybe icy) water
Wrap your tulips in a funnel of newspaper
Dampen the newspaper under cold water. Remember - tulips LOVE water, so don’t be shy, you can run the water right over the whole newspapery-tulip bundle.
Place your damp newspaper wrapped flowers back into their vase.
Leave them like this overnight and remove the newspaper in the morning.
Your tulips should stand much straighter now!
Dancing tulips. Wrapping them up. All wrapped! Damp newspaper back in the vase!
Tip #5: Tulips grow in the vase!
Okay. You found the perfect vase for your bouquet, but the next morning they look a little off. You’re not imagining anything - your tulips changed overnight!
Tulips keep growing even after they are harvested. It is not uncommon for tulips to stretch another 2+ inches after they make it to your homes. (This is another reason they end up dancing - they are growing and shifting constantly!)
Because of their continued growth, you may want to start off with a taller vase for your flowers, or simply make sure to give your tulips stems a healthy trim every couple of days.
Tip #5: The Pin-Prick Trick
One tip that a lot of people insist upon is the pin-prick trick.
Folks say that by pricking a pin (safety pin or needle) straight through the top of the stem where it meets the bloom, you can:
Make the flower stay more vibrant for a longer period of time
Help the flower remain upright (prevent drooping / dancing)
Here is a link to a video on the pin-prick trick: Pin Prick Trick
and here is a link to a little before / after: Pin Prick Trick
I have never tried the pin prick trick, but I plan to give it a go soon and will let you know what I find out!
Hopefully these tips and tricks allow you to better enjoy your flowers. It can be fun to play with flowers and see what works best for your blooms, your vase and your home!
Enjoy!
Heather
