Tulips are another popular flower found in florists during Winter and Spring. These bright, waxy blooms look great in a vase and continue to grow after they have been cut. When you have tulips at home in a vase you will notice they grow towards the window or light, their stems become curvy which can often be mistaken for the Tulips being wilted. Tulips are available in many colours from white to dark purple. Tulips are a simple flower but create a big impact when they are en masse. 

Tulips need to be kept away from heaters and air conditioners and this shortens the life span in a vase. If you trim the stems and change the water regularly they will last at least a week in a vase if not, more! 

Tulips make a great gift as a Thank you, Get Well, Birthday or Just Because. Everybody loves tulips. Tulip plants also make a great gift idea, they can be kept indoors while they are in bloom, making them the perfect lasting gift.

Aside from the gorgeous standard Tulips, there’s another Tulip variety available called the Parrot Tulip. The Parrot Tulip is a similar shape to standard tulips but has feathery like petals which are variegated in colour and often the bloom is larger than the standard tulip. 

 

Growing Tulips

Growing Tulips is easy. They are a bulb species, which means they are perennial so you should get gorgeous Tulips in your garden each Spring. 

Plant the Tulip bulbs around Mother’s Day (May) as the weather is starting to get cooler. Tulips dislike excessive moisture, so well-drained sandy soil is ideal. If the Garden bed is too wet, the bulbs will rot. After flowering has finished, allow foliage to yellow for up to 6 weeks before cutting it off. If you live in a cooler climate you can leave your bulbs in the ground all year round, however if you live in warmer areas you may need to dig up the bulbs after they have finished flowering and store them in a brown paper bag in the crisper section on your fridge until the next bulb planting season.