How to Care for Cut Tulips

Few cut flowers move around in the vase the way tulips do. Even after cutting they keep growing, often an inch or more over a few days, and they bend toward the brightest window in the room. With cool water and a cool spot, expect about 5 to 10 days in the vase; the thing that matters most is keeping them cool and turning the vase every day.

When your tulips arrive

1. Unwrap the arrangement and set it somewhere cool, out of direct sun and away from radiators, heating vents and the top of the fridge.
2. Check the water. Our vase arrangements sit in water, and tulips are thirsty, so top the vase up with cool, clean water right away.
3. Stir in the flower food packet we include. It keeps the water cleaner and helps the buds color up and open.
4. Don't worry if a few tulips lean or curve on the first day. That is normal for tulips after a trip across town, and most lift again once they have had a drink.
5. Give the vase a quarter turn tonight, and every day after that.

Tulips from the market or a wrapped bunch? Fill a clean vase with cool water and flower food, cut about an inch off each stem, and strip any leaves that would sit below the water. Tulips drink the most in their first two days, so check the level daily. In the odd foam design, keep the foam wet and the tulips in place.

Everyday care

• Tulips drink most in the first two days, so check the level every morning; in a mixed arrangement the roses and callas need it too.
• Change the water every 2 days or so, or sooner if it turns cloudy. Rinse the vase, refill with cool water, and trim a little off the stems as you go.
• Use cool tap water for everyday top-ups. Tulips are a cold-weather flower and last longer when everything around them stays cool.
• Turn the vase a quarter turn each day so the stems don't all lean toward one window.
• Pull out any leaf or petal that has dropped into the water.

For the general routine that works for every vase, see our guide to making cut flowers last.

Make them last longer

Tulip stems keep stretching after they are cut, and the bloom follows the light. That is why a neat arrangement can look loose and curvy by day three. You can slow it down but not stop it, and many people like the movement. A few florist habits help:

• Keep them cool. Warmth makes tulips grow faster, open wider and fade sooner. In winter, steam heat is the enemy: move the vase away from the radiator, and to a cooler room at night if you can.
• Even out the light. A sunny south window pulls tulips sideways within hours. Bright, indirect light plus a daily turn keeps them more upright.
• Straighten a bent bunch. Tulips set in whatever shape they drink in. Recut the stems, roll the bunch snugly in paper so the stems stand straight, and stand it in cool water for an hour or two before unwrapping.
• Trim when they get too tall. If stems have grown past the look you want, cut them shorter at the next water change.
• Keep daffodils out. Freshly cut daffodils (narcissus) release a sap that shortens the life of tulips sharing their water. If you want to add daffodils from the market, stand them in their own water for a full day first, then add them without recutting.

Common problems

Why are my tulips drooping?

Usually it is one of two things: they are thirsty, or the stems have simply grown and the heads are heavy. Top up the water first. If they still flop, recut the stems, wrap them snugly in paper and give them an hour in cool water. Our guide to reviving drooping flowers has more.

Should I prick the stem with a pin?

We skip it. The idea is that a pinhole just under the bloom slows the stretching or lets out trapped air, but there is little research behind it and the results are inconsistent. A fresh cut, cool water, the flower food and a snug paper wrap do the job more reliably.

Why are my tulips opening so wide?

Tulips open in warmth and light and often close a little at night. Wide-open, flat petals mean the room is warm or the flowers are near the end. Move them somewhere cooler to slow things down.

The leaves are turning yellow. Is that a problem?

Tulip leaves often yellow before the flowers fade, especially in a warm room or dim light. It doesn't hurt the blooms. Pull off any leaf that looks tired, especially below the water line, keep the water fresh with the flower food packet we include, and move the vase somewhere cooler and brighter (out of direct sun).

My tulips looked wrong on arrival. What should I do?

A bit of lean on day one is normal. If something looks truly off, contact us within 3 days of delivery or pickup with your order number and a photo, as our refund policy explains, and we'll take a look and make it right where we can.

Good to know

• Pets: the ASPCA lists tulips as toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The bulb holds the most toxin, but keep the flowers and the vase water out of reach, and call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center if a pet chews on them. The callas and hyacinths that often share the vase have their own ASPCA listings. Our pet-safe flowers guide covers the rest of the vase.
• Scent: most tulips have little or no scent. In our designs the fragrance usually comes from hyacinth or lilac beside them.
• In our arrangements: you may find orange tulips in Mischievous, purple tulips in Amethyst, pink tulips in Sweetheart, and yellow or orange tulips in Radiance and Enticement, often with blue hyacinth, which has its own hyacinth care guide.
• Season: tulips are a winter-to-spring flower (roughly December to May from greenhouse growers; some stems are available outside that window). For what is available now, ask us.
• Meaning: red tulips have long stood for love, and a mixed bunch simply says spring is here.