Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that last year in December, under the most inhospitable circumstances i might add, I put tulip bulbs in one of my low vegetable beds. These beds never get planted with vegetables until May, so they make perfect little cut flower beds. I love having vases full of fresh flowers in the house, but don’t like cutting down the first tulips of the year from my flower beds at all. After all, tulips and daffodils are the only splashes of color in the garden for quite a few weeks. Hence the idea of creating my own “cut flower bed”… and what can I say… I can only recommend it to you! Best idea ever. Now that we are still in the absolute tulip peak season in April, I thought I’d share my tried and true tips on how to keep tulips looking good for as long as possible when you keep them in a vase. These tips work for all tulips whether you got them from the supermarket or from your own garden.
How to care for cut tulips so they last longer:
Tip 1 – Timing
Tulips are best cut in the morning before they open. Plus make sure that they are slightly bloomed, that is, the flower is not yet too wide open.
Tip 2 – Freshness-Check
Fresh tulips squeak. If you get the tulips from your own garden you can skip this tip. However, if you buy tulips in a supermarket or from a florist, you should make sure that the tulips squeak when you move them. So you can tell that the flowers are fresh. .
Tip 3 – The right vase
Use a slim and high vase. The tulips will grow a few centimeters after cutting, so a slim vase gives them the necessary support. Also make sure that the vase is always clean.
Tip 4 – Proper watering
It is best to use cold water and only a few centimeters of it. If you put too much water in the vase, the tulips quickly begin to rot. Rather use a little less and when you see that the water is almost gone, just add some more.
Tipp 5 – The right place
Do not place the tulips in direct sunlight or in a place that is too warm. In no case next to a radiator.
Tip 6 – Cool tulips
Leave the tulips outside overnight. If you put your vase on the balcony or terrace overnight, you will easily get 2 days more life out of it. And let’s face it, we don’t see the tulips at night anyway. 😉
Tip 7 – Refresh
If the tulips are no longer so firm and crisp, no problem. Just shorten the stem by 2-3 cm, wrap the tulips in one or two sheets of newspaper and put them in a vase with fresh cold water for 2 hours. After two hours, remove the paper and voila the tulips have recovered.
Tipp 8 – Knife vs. Scissors
Shorten tulips only with a sharp knife. Scissors can damage the stems.
Tip 9 – Keep it simple
Es gibt etliche Tipps wie Tulpen länger halten – Kupfermünzen, Zucker, Vodka, etc. ins Wasser, Die Tulpe unter der Blüte mit einer Nadel einstechen,… und so weiter. A lot of this you can safely do without. The important thing is: fresh, cold water every day, don’t put it too warm and shorten it by a few centimeters every two days… Thats it. 😉
Do you have any other tips on how to keep your tulips fresh? Let me know! Until then,enjoy your tulips 🙂
