Learn How We Maintain the Beauty of Our Tulips
Once you have picked your tulip, you want to protect it and make it last. Here is what we recommend you do.
You want to get them in water as soon as possible. You do not want to leave them in your vehicle or in the hot sun. When you introduce your tulips to room temperature water in a vase. Before putting your tulips in a vase, we recommend cutting the ends with an angle at the end. That will raise them off the bottom of the vase and allow the tulips to absorb more water. Make sure to keep water in the vase and keep out of direct sunlight. Tulips will last longer in a cooler area.
Planting tulips at home
Before picking a spot to plant tulip bulbs, make sure the area has good drainage. They will drown from the water and not grow. Tulip bulbs are planted in the fall in New England. Depending on your area they can be planted from late September to November. The best time to plant is when soil temperatures go below 55 degrees. They also need to be in an area that gets full sun. Bulbs can be planted individually or in groups. The best planting depth for tulips is 6-8" deep. Soil should be loose when planting bulbs. This allows the roots to develop. Bulbs should be planted with the point facing up. Rain should take care of watering needs during the winter and early spring. If the spring is extremely dry, water them moderately.
Taking care of your sunflowers
A few things to remember when picking your sunflowers are stem length and head size. As we have various breeds and sizes in our fields, it is important to keep in mind where you will be displaying your flowers. Larger sunflowers will need tall and sturdy vases to hold them up. Smaller sunflowers are ideal for normal glass vases. If you are gifting flowers or are unsure about your vase length, cut the stems extra long (30 inches or so) to trim later. Stripping the leaves off of the bottom of the stem will help prolong the life of the flower but it is good to leave a few under the stem for bouquet aesthetics. When leaving the farm, it is ideal to get them home as soon as possible. Do not leave them in the car for a prolonged period of time.
To extend the vase life of sunflower a number of commercial preservatives are available such as Chrysal Floral Preservative and Floralife Crystal Clear.