Tulip Flowers
You see, one of the more readily available cut flowers at this time of year is tulips and with all the new colours the growers are using, you can find a bunch to match any kitchen décor. There’s lots of production and consumers are reaping the benefits.
I’ve written before about all the different shapes of tulip flowers; some look like what our mind’s ideal says this flower should look like - but others are wildly different. The double flowering ones look like peonies while the parrots look like somebody took a pair of scissors to their petals. Sometimes you’ll even find some varieties being forced that are fragrant and these are particularly prized in our household.
A good florist or even the improving selection in produce departments will deliver a wide range of shapes for your table. I note if you can’t find fragrant ones, a hyacinth or two will quickly perfume an entire house. Personally I find hyacinth fragrance to be heavy and cloying and I’m not a fan of it but hey what do I know.
When it comes to tulip flowers colour, the sky is the limit. You can find something to complement or accent your home décor with little problem. Just note however that research has shown that if you let the guy in your home pick the colour, you’ll likely wind up with bright reds, yellow and deep purples. The same research shows that women tend to pick colours from a wider palette – choosing different colours and shapes more often than men.
Advice for Guys
So
guys if you want to make some points here’s a
few tips for
choosing tulip flowers for the house. Try something new each time you pick up some flowers. Don’t just look for the red or yellow ones. Let your subtle artistic side show. For example, you could include some of the new “flame” flowers in a mix. If you have to chose red and yellow, mix a few “flames” in there to brighten up and complement the mix.
Go with two tones of the same colour. For example, you might try light and dark yellow tulips in the same arrangement instead of all bright yellow. Or, mix some lavender with those purple ones you like so much. Or be daring and pick one of every colour available, create a riot of colour and let me tell you that you can’t go wrong if you’ve got as many colours as possible in a bouquet.
Keeping Tulips in Bloom Longer
Once you get them home, there’s a few secrets to prolonging the life of tulips that many people don’t know about.
To begin with, recut the stems. This means that you fill up the vase and place it next to the sink. Let the gently running tap water flow over the end of the tulip and cut approximately one half inch (at a very slight angle) off the stem while the stem is under the water stream. Immediately place it in the vase so the newly cut ends are not exposed to the air for even a moment. If you do nothing else, this little trick will prolong your cut tulips (and any flower for that matter) more than anything else you can do.
Unlike most other cut flowers, tulips keep growing in the vase and over their lifespan on your kitchen table they’ll grow about an inch taller. They’ll also move around in search of the light creating a ballet of slow-motion. While I think this is part of their charm, some folks like to keep them straight and here’s the trick for doing that.
Remove the tulips from the vase and roll the tulips in a newspaper so that the paper extends above the flowers but leaves the bottom third of the stems bare. Recut the stems under water and place in a container of cool water for an hour or two. This will allow the tulips to soak up some water and being held in place, the stems will straighten up. An interesting bit of floral magic!
Don’t bother using cut flower food on tulips. Research has shown they don’t need the food but they do require lots of fresh clean water.
Change that water every two days and your tulip flowers will last significantly longer than if you don’t change the water. For the longest life, keep them in a cool spot away from direct sunlight or heat sources. Don’t put them next to radiators or heat vents for sure.
And if you decide to add some daffodils to your cut flower mix, you have to “prep” the daffodils before you use them in a mixed arrangement. A cut daffodil secretes gummy substances from the cut stems and this gum blocks the stems of other flowers causing them to die early. If you use daffodils, cut their stems under water and soak them in a vase all by themselves for an hour or three. After this soaking, they can be added to the mixed bouquet with no danger.
So go for it and create a bit of garden in your winter-bound kitchen. Tulip flowers will remind you of the spring that is just around the corner.
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