Bought with their buds still tightly closed, tulips unfurl their petals indoors over a few days, standing tall in a vase on their own or among other flowers and leaves. A bouquet lasts five to eight days; trim the stems and change the water daily, and you gain a day or two more.
Whether you pair it with other flowers and leaves, or focus exclusively on tulips, you’ll for sure bring beauty into the house. Here is how to make sure your tulips will keep for a long time in their vase.
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When purchasing your tulips, chose a bouquet where flowers aren’t yet open: buds must still be closed. In deed, once in the home, the tulips will unfurl their petals within a few days, and they’ll only last a short while. A bouquet of tulips usually only lasts from 5 to 8 days, depending on the temperature and exposure. If you select closed bud tulips, you’ll savor the bouquet for 1 or 2 days more.
Florists will for sure remind you of this, since it’s very important to cut the tulip stems before settling them in their vase.
Another option is to prick a needle through the stem, just beneath the flower head (remove it). This old wives’ secret creates a hole that lets air through, which in turn improves circulation of water up to the flower.
It won’t matter in the least whether the vase is see-through or opaque. Light on the stem won’t extend or reduce the tulip’s lifespan.
Everything that lengthens the life of a tulip bouquet happens at the stem, and most of it takes a minute. Here is what each gesture actually does for the flowers.
| Step | What to do | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Pick closed buds | Buy a bouquet whose buds are still shut | Buys you 1 or 2 extra days of display |
| Trim the stem tips | Take off half an inch to one inch (1 to 2 cm) with sharp scissors | Lets the stem take up water and nutrients |
| Strip the lower leaves | Leave no leaf joint below the water line | Keeps the vase water from fouling |
| Prick the stem | Push a needle through just beneath the flower head, then remove it | The hole lets air through and water circulates better |
| Refresh the water | Change it daily and shorten the stems by a quarter-inch each time | Matters more than any additive |
Do these and the bouquet will hold near the top of its natural five-to-eight-day span.
Tap water is fine to use for a bouquet of tulips. It’ll hold for a long time as long as its replaced often. If you’ve set up a rainwater harvester, it’s also a great choice to use rainwater.
Nutrients and additives often meet different goals:
Though it’s clear that this little pouch of powder serves its purpose, much more important is the habit of changing the water itself very often.
As is the case for most flowers when arranged in a bouquet, it’s best to avoid full sun, especially in the summertime.
When the flowers have wilted away, toss your bouquet of spent tulips in the compost pit, or, if you haven’t any, chop them up and spread them around the foot of a plant to avail of the nutrients that are released as they break down.
