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Thursday 25 April 2019

Tulips : How To Make Them Last Longer


As regular readers know, this blog brings a variety of articles, studies, thoughts, photographs, music and recipes! It is presented in a magazine style - we hope something for everyone. Our main focus is about the Low Carb Higher (Healthy) Fat lifestyle, LCHF for short, and you can read/find out more about that here  
But for something different, today's post is about:-

"Tulips, they are synonymous with spring. The famed Dutch flower, and one of the easiest to care for, tulips come in pretty much every colour imaginable and they look fabulous in every space whether it's in the garden or in a vase. 


Cut flower tulips 
Have you currently got some tulips in a vase? When it comes to cut flower tulips, it's easier than you think to keep yours looking lovely and perked up. Bloom & Wild's lead florist, Caroline, outlines exactly how you can make your tulips last longer in some simple steps below, plus provides more flower care solutions for common dilemmas. 

How to avoid drooping tulips
1. Trim your tulips: Trimming tulips by 3-5cm allows water inside to hydrate them. Always cut at an angle to give as much surface area to drink from. 
2. Pop them in water ASAP: Tulips, like all flowers, use water to prop-up their stems. Pop them in water as soon as you can to help them rehydrate and bloom. 
3. Find their dream home: Keep your tulips away from direct sunlight and radiators (they’ll dehydrate your stems) and fruit (it releases gases that’ll make them fade). 
4. Change their water: Tulips don’t like drinking dirty water, so refresh your vase every few days and re-trim your stems 1cm each time. 

Why are my tulips are floppy? 
Don’t worry, they aren’t dead. Tulips use water to prop up their stems so they’re just thirsty after their journey to you. Help yours perk up by trimming them, popping them in water and then leaving them overnight. By morning they won’t look droopy. 

Why are my tulips so much shorter than my other stems? 
They’re naturally much shorter than other stems but they’ll keep growing in your vase. Data Scientist Dave carried out a tulip experiment to prove it. He measured some tulips on the day they arrived and they were 31cm on average. Then he popped them in fresh water with flower food and waited a few days. On day five, he took them out of the water and measured them all, one by one. On average they’d grown by a huge 17cm! 

Why do tulips keep growing in water? 
Tulips are really responsive to sunlight and that’s why they move. They’re turning themselves towards the light sources around them, hoping to be seen by pollinators. You might also spot them opening up on sunny days and closing up at night time. 

Why don’t my tulips stay straight?  
Because they keep growing in their vase, you’ll find they playfully move around in the water. It’s part of their charm and nothing to worry about! 

But I want my tulip to be straight – what can I do? 
If you want your tulips to stand-up straight for a dinner party or special occasion, we recommend taking them out their vase, tightly wrapping them with newspaper into a cone shape, popping back in water, and keeping them in a dark room overnight. When you unwrap them in the morning, they’ll be perfect! Then remember to rotate your vase throughout to prevent them growing one way towards the light.

Picture and words above taken from an article here

Having sorted out your lovely tulips,
why not sit down and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee,
with a nice low carb chocolate muffin, more details/recipe here





You will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

44 comments:

Francisco Manuel Carrajola Oliveira said...

Lindas estas tulipas.
Um abraço e um bom 25 de Abril.

Andarilhar
Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
Livros-Autografados

Forsythia said...

I love tulips. Thank you for the tips on helping them last longer.

R's Rue said...

❤️

mxtodis123 said...

I love tulips. So pretty in the spring sunshine.

kathyinozarks said...

Great information on the cut tulips-thank you

Tom said...

...amny good things don't last long enough.

Christine said...

Great tips, I love tulips!

Valerie-Jael said...

Thanks for the infos. Tulips are always so lovely. Valerie

My name is Erika. said...

It is always nice to have a vase of flowers in the house. Thanks for the info on tulips. I didn't know all this and now mine shall look better-I hope. Smile.

Catarina said...

The yellow tulips I bought for Easter still look beautiful. Those suggestions should be followed. Flowers last so much longer!
Have a great day!
:)

Anonymous said...

Excellent advice ! Thank you!

CJ Kennedy said...

I never knew that about tulips. Thanks.

Lady Caer Morganna said...

Great tips! Thank you!!!

Ygraine said...

Wow...these hints are really helpful! I just adore tulips, and now I can make them last longer...thank you so much!!😊😊
Those muffins sound (and look) absolutely delicious...

Have a Fabulous day!

Pam said...

I love Tulips but they do not last long enough. Great info. Thanks...

Iris Flavia said...

Wow, great tips indeed, thank you!

Jo said...

I always pierce the stems of my tulips right underneath the flower. Just use a pin and poke it right the way through the stem. I've never had floppy tulips since I discovered this trick.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Tulips are one of my all time favourite vase flowers Jan. I love then when they first stand nice and straight but even more when they go all sculptural and do their own thing. They are such good value 🌷

Chris Lally said...

Great post, Jan! Great info & yummy recipe, too :) Thanks!!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I was anxious to read this, Jan because I want to bring some tulips in before they are all gone. I take a bucket of water to the garden and plop the cut tulip (cut at an angle) in immediately. I did't know about them growing, though, so that was truly news to me. Thanks for sharing this valuable information.

Carla from The River said...

Thank you for the tips. My tulips are just popping up. :-)

Miss Val's Creations said...

Helpful tips! Tulips are one of my favorite spring pretties. I wish they lasted longer.

Recep Hilmi TUFAN | rehitu.com said...

Tulips are refreshing me!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, the tulips are beautiful. Thanks for the tips. Your muffin looks delicious.
Happy Thursday, enjoy your day! Have a great weekend!

Mary Kirkland said...

I had no idea. I usually get carnations from my hubby.

Elephant's Child said...

I would like them to last longer in the ground too.

DeniseinVA said...

Learning about how to keep tulips lasting longer was very interesting Jan, thanks for sharing. And also, and anything to do with chocolate, I'm in :)

William Kendall said...

We'll see them here next month.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Muffins are good. With or without tulips.

God bless.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Is there anyone in the whole world who doesn't like tulips? Anything to prolong them is a winner for me.

Bill said...

Tulip tips are good to know. Thanks!

Jeanie said...

I knew a LITTLE of this but not nearly so much as now! And since tulips are one of my favorite flowers to buy, I'm saving this post for future reference. And I'll be referring to it a lot! Thanks, Jan! It's a good one!

Teresa said...

Muy interesante, me ha encantado leer lo de los tulipanes. Un beso.

Laurel Wood said...

I love tulips - they remind me of my grandmother. Sadly, I don't have any growing here at the new house. That chocolate muffin looks delicious. Have a nice evening.

Karen said...

Thanks so much for the tips on keeping the tulips fresh longer. Great ideas. Thanks also for the muffin recipe. Have a great weekend.

Lee said...

I'm sitting here sipping on a large mug of coffee, dunking a couple of Anzac biscuits as I do so!

The tulips are beautiful...so are these biscuits! :)

Sandra said...

I want tulips and that chocolate muffin:) Between the chocolate muffin on your blog and the Bear Claw on Christine's my sweet tooth is chattering:)

Martha said...

Great advice! We should be seeing tulips any down now. They are such pretty flowers.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info, that sure is a beautiful photo!

Marfi-topia said...

wonderful tips!
and thanks for the recipe:)

Bob Bushell said...

Thanks for the info.

Lady Fi said...

Such pretty tulips.

carol l mckenna said...

wonderfully informative about beautiful tulips!

Happy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Little Wandering Wren said...

Thank you I love tulips they are flowers with personality! They are not easy in Australia, they go wild and do their own thing for sure if it gets too hot. I was told to prick them with a pin to make them stand up, but the floppy look suits our look most of the time!
Wren x