Picking tulips for an arrangement

Picking Tulips for an Arrangement

Tulip 'Greenland' and Tulip 'Spring Green' are two of the most perennial varieties that we grow here and because of this, I have to be careful how I pick them.

With annual varieties, you can simply pull them, which will give you extra stem length, but with perennial tulips, you need to make sure you don't damage the bulb, so instead you have to cut them.

I planted these tulips in November using a bulb planter so as not to disturb the soil too much.

Planting Within a Colour Palette

I want to keep within a specific colour palette, in this case the 'soft and cool' palette. Not only does this look nicer, it also makes arrangements quicker to pick.

How to Pick Perennial Bulbs

As these tulips are perennial, I don't want to take all the foliage when I pick them as the plant needs to continue to photosynthesise so it can store up energy for next year's flowers. The rule is, always leave at least one leaf behind for next year's growth.

I generally take two buckets out with me when I am picking flowers. One is filled with water so I can put the cut flowers straight into water, and the other is an empty bucket that I collect any spare foliage in, which will go straight on the compost heap.

Cut the stems as low as possible so that you can have some height in your arrangement.