tulips

[rosiew]

I love tulips but is there anything i can put in the water to slow down the opening of them. They only last a couple of days. Thanks in advance

[tamborine]

keep them cold or frozen till you want them to flower

[ladyalex]

If you wrap wet newspaper around them and leave them in water like this for a few hours, this sometimes extends their life a bit.......it's the heat in our houses nowadays that does for them, though.

[Clanad]

I've found ladyalex's method will provide fresh looking tulips for about a week... maybe a little longer. However, along with the wrapping do this: Lay the bouquet on wrapping paper or newspaper, and cut the stems diagonally, removing about one-half inch of stem.

Re-wrap the bouquet in paper (making a cone shape) so that the tulips are standing straight. The tops of the tulips should not extend above the top of the paper although you�ll need to allow a few inches of stems stick out from the bottom. Place the wrapped bouquet in water for an hour or two, with the paper above the water line.

Re-cut the stems once more, before rearranging, again making a diagonal cut. Fill the vase with water, adding a floral preservative - a powdery mix of plant food and bacteria inhibitors available at your florist.
(We've used this process for a long time successfully, but it can be found in Backyard Gardener as well...)