Nothing says "spring" like an arrangement of bright, gorgeous tulips fresh from the garden or flower shop. Tulips are sturdy flowers that can last up to 10 days after cutting if you know how to care for them correctly. Choose fresh blooms to begin with is key, and you can prolong their beauty by displaying them in the right place and giving them plenty of water. See Step 1 for tricks you can use to create a long-lasting tulip arrangement.
StepsEdit
Part One of Two:
Preparing Tulips for DisplayEdit
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1Choose young tulips. When you're at the flower shop, you might be tempted to buy the tulips with fully-opened, vibrantly colored petals. This would be a fine choice if your tulips were meant to "wow" for a one-night occasion, but if you want them to last a long time, choose tulips that are still tightly closed, with some green buds that aren't fully colored yet. The flowers will open over the course of a few days, giving you more time to enjoy them.
- If you're cutting your own tulips and you want them to last as long as possible in a vase, cut them before they're fully opened. Cut as close as possible to the ground.
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2Wrap the stems in wet cloth or paper towels. When you bring the tulips home from the shop, keep them wrapped in paper towels or a washcloth soaked in fresh water. This will ensure that the tulips don't start prematurely drying out on the way home. Do this even if the distance from the flower shop to your house isn't very far. Any time out of water will cause the tulips to age faster.
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3Cut 1⁄4 inch (0.6 cm) from the base of the stems.[1] Use a small pair of clippers and cut the stems at an angle. This will help them readily soak up water from the vase.
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4Remove extra leaves from the base of the stems. If the stems have any leaves that would be submerged in water when you put them in the vase, remove them. The leaves could start rotting and cause the flowers to go limp before their time.Advertisement
Part Two of Two:
Displaying the TulipsEdit
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1Choose a suitable vase. Pick a vase that will rise up to cover at least half the height of the tulips you've brought home. They'll be able to lean against the vase without bending over. If you use a shorter vase, the flowers will eventually bend forward. This is an effect some people like, but it may cause the flowers to die more quickly.
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2Wash the vase. Make sure it doesn't have sediment leftover from your last bouquet. Use soap and warm water to wash it thoroughly, then dry it completely with a towel. This way your fresh tulips won't pick up bacteria that could case them to start rotting more quickly.
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3Fill the vase with cold water. Cold water will keep the stems fresh and crisp, while warm or hot water would cause them to become weak and soggy.
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4Position the stems around the vase. Arrange the tulips so that they each have a little space in the vase, rather than leaning them all on top of one another. Giving them each a little room will prevent them from crushing one another, which will lead to premature petal drop-page and shorten the lifespan of your flowers.
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5Keep the vase filled with fresh water. Tulips drink up a lot of water. Make sure it never completely runs out, or they'll begin to wilt very quickly.
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6Add some flower food. The addition of flower food, or flower preservative, which is available at flower shops, will greatly lengthen your flowers' lifespan. Read the directions and sprinkle in some food when you add water. It'll keep your tulips standing tall and looking perky for as long as possible.
- You can try putting lemon juice, pennies, and other such materials in the vase with the flowers. Some say these tricks work, but research shows that flower food is much more effective.[2]
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7Keep the vase out of the sun. Place it in an area that doesn't get too hot and sunny. Otherwise, the tulips will wilt in the heat.
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8Don't style tulips with flowers in the Narcissus family. Daffodils and other flowers in this family exude a substance that causes flowers to fade faster. Tulips work best in a vase all by themselves.[3]Advertisement
Community Q&A
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Will my tulips last longer if I place them in the fridge overnight?Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- Yes, this works for most flowers, tulips included. If you don't have enough room in your fridge, you can just take the vase to the coolest part of your house. For example, place tulips in the hall, right in front of the front door, if it's the coolest there. If it's not below freezing point outside, you can also just keep the tulips on the balcony or porch overnight.
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Why do the leaves lose their color?Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible, giving the leaves part of their fall splendor. At the same time other chemical changes may occur, which form additional colors through the development of red anthocyanin pigments.
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Can tulips grow in a vase?Answered by wikiHow Contributor
- Usually they do, at least if you've bought them when they're still budding and keep them in vase for more than a couple of days. It's good to keep an eye on the growth, because it can happen unnoticed with the growth being so gradual. If tulips overgrow, they start bending from the weight of the flower and become droopy. So it's good to cut them again with a sharp knife every couple of days to keep them the right height. Flowers grow from the top, not from the stem, so you will may have to remove more leaves so their stems won't be underwater.
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Can I plant cut tulips?
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Can I plant in dirt?
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Can you please describe what is meant by "prick at the base of the bloom?"
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Can I take some of the leaves off of a tulip plant?
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How can I get my cut tulip to root?
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VideoEdit
TipsEdit
- When buying tulips from a store, purchase tulips with the flower head closed.
- Pierce the stem with a medium needle just below the flower. It never fails to keep the flowers attractive for a week. Dutch tip.
- When you cut tulips, try cutting them on a diagonal angle instead a straight angle.
- Leaving tulips in the vase with a wrap around them for a couple of hours will increase the chances of keeping the stems straight.
- Because tulips continue to grow even after being cut, they often bend to conform to their container. If desired, straighten the tulips by securing them in damp newspaper and placing them in lukewarm water for a few hours.
- Tulips are “photogenic”, bending towards the light, so rotate containers daily to keep stems more upright.
- Tulips can be safely placed in the same bouquet with most other flowers.
- Place the tulips in an irregular shaped vase for twisted, conformed stems.
WarningsEdit
- Do not place tulips in the same vase with daffodils or in the water in which daffodils have set.
- Adding aspirin, lemon juice, pennies, soda and other mixtures to the water is only a myth for extending the life of cut tulips.
- After cutting the tulip stem under water, do not allow the stem to dry off before replacing it into the vase or decorative container.
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Reader Success Stories
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RR"Tulips are my favorite flower, and I want them to last as long as possible. Your instructions were clear and concise, especially including the pictures. I bought 20 tulips today, as I really needed a lift. I can't wait to see how they bloom. Thank you."..." more
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SB"Received two bouquets two weeks apart. One bouquet lasted almost a week, and the other only two days before dropping. Your article has explained a lot. I will purchase the next bouquet myself and treat them better. Knowledge is power. Thanks."..." more
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LV"Helpful tips to try, like cutting stems under water and not leaving them on a windowsill in direct sunlight. That explains why mine drooped. I thought it might have been because they were in a vase with roses."..." more
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HF"A great read with great tips. I love having tulips and fresh flowers in my home at all times! Wrapping them in wet paper was one thing I never heard of. Flowers make people feel happy."..." more
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JP"I bought cut tulips and did not know how I should care for them, or how much water to give them. Great to have advice at your fingertips."..." more
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CR"I was looking for a reason why my tulips wilted, and I learned here it was because they were on a hot, sunny windowsill."..." more
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A"Concise and dependably usable information. The gold standard advice guide! Well done. Thank you, wikiHow!"
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MB"Piercing the stem below the flower was helpful. I didn't know they still grew after being cut."
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TG"Thank you for these steps, they helped my tulips look beautiful again!"
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RC"The instructions helped me a lot to keep my tulips fresh."
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SS"Lots of good information! Thanks!"
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PM"It answered all my questions. "
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