So, you love tulips… but you loathe how quickly they seem to droop and drop their brilliant petals? We’ve gathered every trick in the book for keeping your tulips fresh and fabulous! From tried and true to wild and wacky, here are the 18 ways to keep your tulips from drooping!
Tried and true ways to keep your tulips from drooping:
1.Grab green tulips
If you’re looking for a longer lasting bouquet, make sure to look for young tulips when you’re shopping. Choose closed tulips that aren’t showing much color yet and you’ll get to enjoy your flowers longer!
2. Keep the stems in water
Even a quick drive home from the store can cause your tulips to age! Wrap the stems in a water soaked cloth to keep them damp.
3. Cut your tulips
Upon bringing your tulips home, cut the stems about ½ an inch at the bottom. Cut at an angle while running under water! A fresh, diagonal cut allows for the tulips to drink up more water and keeping the stems under the faucet while cutting prevents air from aging your flowers.
4. Remove leaves below water level
Leaves below the water will rot and grow bacteria. To keep the tulips happy and the water nice and clean, remove all leaves that will rest below the water.
5. Choose a supportive vase
A tall vase without a wide opening is best if you want your tulips to stand tall! If the opening of the vase widens, your tulips will droop with the shape of the opening.
6. Be careful who you pair tulips with
As crazy as it sounds, some flowers don’t play well with others! Narcissus and daffodils, for example, release a substance harmful to your tulips. Avoid mixing these into the same vase.
7. Choose cold water
Cold water will keep your flowers perky! Warm water can cause the stems to go weak.
8. Don’t overfill your vase.
Tulips last longer in shallow water, so don’t fill your vase to the brim. Consider filling about ⅓ of the way up.
9. Watch the water!
While you’ll want to keep the water level low, don’t neglect it. Be sure to replace with fresh water every few days – tulips are thirsty!
10. Avoid direct sun or heat
Sadly, your tulips will droop (and drop petals) quickly once they’ve opened up. Keeping the flowers out of sunlight and heat will help them stay fresh.
11. Keep them freshly cut
An additional diagonal stem cut (about 1 inch) every other time you give your tulips fresh water, will lengthen their life and keep your flowers looking fabulous!
12. Add flower food
Flower food helps your tulips with water uptake and manages the pH of the water! This is an easy way to keep your bouquet happy.
13. Refrigerate overnight
If you have room, placing your bouquet in the fridge overnight, each night, can dramatically increase its lifespan! A cold room can help, too.
A few surprising tips and tricks in place of flower food:
These sound like old wives tales, but flower-lovers worldwide swear by these funny little fresh-flower tricks! A word of caution, though: While these methods can work, they can also cut the lives of your tulips short. So, save these for the bitter end, just in case.
14. Add a penny to the vase
For straighter stems (thanks to the copper!)
15. Add lemon-lime soda
The acidity allows quicker water absorption for your tulips!
16. Add ¼ teaspoon of bleach
For clear, bacteria free water
17. Add an aspirin
For lowering the pH of your flower water
18. Add vodka
For a preserving effect (it stops the production of ethylene, which is what makes your tulips droop!)
