It's peak season for tulips. Although tulips are available year round--thank you hot houses and overnight shipping--now is the best time to find quality flowers in a variety of colors and at the
lowest prices.
Generally, tulips are kept in cold storage and out of water when shipped and at flower markets. To make sure your tulips last as long as possible you will need to process and condition them correctly.
Once home, remove the tulips from their plastic wrap. Fill a bucket with cool water but not too deep. Tulips prefer shallow water. Like most spring bulbs they like their feet cool and their heads warm.
Take newspaper and loosely wrap the bunch. This will help keep the stems straight and strong as they absorb water. Remove any lower leaves that would fall below the water line. Cut the stems above the white parts at an angle and place in the water bucket.
Leave in the bucket for a few hours or overnight. Tulips are heavy drinkers so make sure you check the water level in your bucket and add more cool water as needed.
Tulips can "blow" open quickly if they have been stored in a cool location (such as the flower shop cooler) and then exposed to heat too quickly. Be careful to move them to a cool location out of direct sun light so they don't open all the way on the first day home.
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