Here's how to extend the vase life of your tulips. Give the stems a fresh cut. Use cool water. Don't fill the vase completely full of water ... two or three inches is enough. Tulips are water hogs. If left to their own devices, they'll drink too much and the petals will turn transparent. That said, don't let them go dry. Change the water every other day. Keep them in a coolish part of the room -- definitely not on top of the radiator.
The less you do with them, the better. Think of tulips as the terriers of the flower world. They're basically going to do what they want to do. They'll turn their heads to follow the sun. Continue to grow after they're cut. (If you're going to mix them with other flowers, cut the tulips shorter than the rest.) Bend and sometimes flop the way they want. Trying to tame tulips isn't hopeless, but do you really need the frustration? Let them be and enjoy.
1 comment:
I always put two pennies in the bottom of the vase with my cut tulips. The copper seems to keep the stems from drooping. (A Japanese eye doctor from San Francisco gave passed along this hint.)
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