Tulip Care

Begin at the Beginning! Gently unwrap your tulips and place them on a clean, dry workspace - around three by three feet is ideal! Discard of (or upcycle) any packaging. Next, find your flowers a “home.” The ideal vase for these babes is between six to eight inches high and has at least a three inch opening. Pro Tip: if your options are limited and you don’t have one vase big enough for your blooms, use a few! We love the look of a few, scattered bud vases around the house. We find one or two tulips are just as stunning as a vase full of them!

Get Arranging! Pretending like your hand is the vase gently grasp all of the tulips in your fist. Careful! Tulips have a notoriously delicate stem. Take care to use a firm but gentle grip. For a more designed vibe, use your free hand to stagger the heights of your blooms in your first. To really give it that Farmgirl look you’ll want the lowest bloom to start around 1” to 2” above the lip of the vessel and the tallest flower to be around twice the height of the vase. Pro Tip: think sisters, not twins, when you’re staggering! No two stems should be the same height.

Work these heights into a highest/lowest/high pattern, making sure your tallest stems live on the left of the vase, your shortest stems are grouped in the center and your mid-height stems live on the right. Last, gently rotate the stems so the heads of each flower fan out in all direction.

Fresh Cut! Once you’re satisfied with the height and overall feel of your tulips measure the stems against the height of the vase to determine where you’ll need to make your cut. Next, grab a pair of scissors, floral shears, or even a sharp kitchen knife and trim the stems to your desired height. Pro Tip: even if you’re totally happy with the height of your flowers out of the box you’ll need to cut at least a half inch from the bottom. A fresh cut is super important because it helps the stems hydrate most efficiently after their overnight road trip to you. Last, place the stems into the vessel. Keep in mind that as the flowers open up the arrangement will begin to look fuller. Leave a little breathing room now to keep your vase from overcrowding once those buds get blooming!

Routine Maintenance! To help your tulips live their best life keep them out of direct sunlight or any extra toasty areas in your home. We recommend placing your vase at least three feet from any sunny window and away from any obvious heat sources (like a radiator). Bacteria build up is natural (and unavoidable) as the stems age. Change the water daily (or as often as you can remember) so your tulips are always getting a fresh drink! Trimming the stems at the same time will also ensure they’re hydrating efficiently. Pro Tip: some blooms may die off sooner than others. Removing any dead flowers will help to keep its vase mates looking fresher longer!