Flower Focus: Tulips
Tulips are the quintessential symbol of spring being one of the first flowers to bloom in welcoming the new season. On our farm we grow mainly double tulips. Double tulips have more petals than the typical single variety. Instead of the usual 6 petals, double tulips can have many more layers, making them look like peony-like blooms or even small roses. Double tulips also tend to have a slightly longer blooming period than their single relatives, some lasting over 2 weeks! Their multiple layers of petals mean they take a bit longer to open fully, which can extend their vase life by a few days. Each year we expand our tulip patch to grow more and more of these amazing flowers given how hot the demand for them is in early spring.
Here are some interesting facts about tulips that you maybe didn’t know…
Fun fact #1: Tulips keep growing and opening once they are cut! Tulips should be harvested very early, once a little bit of colour starts to show and before the tulip opens fully. Tulips continue to open and develop once they are pulled, which makes them beautiful to experience throughout the week.
Fun Fact #2: When sold as a cut flower, tulips are harvested with the bulb attached. This is for a few reasons! Harvesting the tulip with the bulb gives the longest stem length and keeps the tulips fresh for longer. Tulips can be stored in a cooler with the bulb attached for up to two weeks without degrading the quality of vase life of a tulip (because the bulb continues providing moisture and nutrients for the flower). People are often aghast when they find out I do not perennialize my tulips but the fact of the matter is they do not come back as strong the following year so farmers normally treat them as annuals. Also, space is at a premium here on the farm and I just cannot afford to keep the space vacant so new crops are planted immediately once the tulips are harvested.
Fun Fact #3: Tulips are phototropic, which means they lean toward light. Their blooms rotate throughout the day to face the sun, and some species even continue this behavior after they have been cut. This (along with fun fact #1) makes tulips super fun to watch develop when they are in a vase.
What’s also amazing about tulips is that anyone can grow them in their own gardens. Just plant some bulbs in the fall and you have something to look forward to when the weather turns warm.
