Tulips can be tricky to arrange....

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master J

master J

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Jan 8, 2005
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We had a special on tulips this week, it was a huge success for us, we sent out an email and had them on special for $25 (10 stems in a vase). We sold about 25 vases this week which is good for us!

Ok with that being said, I have known this before but really took notice to it this week...

No matter how nice you arrange tulips in a vase, the next day or even hours later, they all move upwards, and end up looking like a 5 yr boy dropped them in a vase.... looks like crap!

So whats the trick to getting them to stay put?? We have tried slitting the stem right below the bloom but that tends to make them bend upwards, we have also tried doing nothing and it still does the same thing....

I realize this is a basic question but thought there may be a tip I don't know about?
 
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That is the very reason why tulip lovers love tulips....
Just go with it Adam...and love them and their grace...
 
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I was taught they continue to grow after being cut,and are drawn to move toward light.Try adding curly willow with them and watch how they drape and move in harmony with the little extra support.:bouncy:
 
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Compact and lush.

Our customers love the clean look of them and they stay put even after they start growing.

I think the key is the vase and we have had terrible responses to putting them into a ginger vase or even a tall cylinder. Looks to FTDish.

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I think it does look better with the accent flowers, so I am going to create a new line of images for tulips instead of using the TF images with no filler.

The tulips dont flop around as much when the filler holds them together and I agree, Eric, the shorter the better :)
Nice picture!

Thanks for the all the replies, I agree tulips will do their own thing...and I have to sometimes go with the flow...but

I just can't have them moving & flopping all over the place on delivery, I believe it is a complaint waiting to happen as they don't look professionally arranged when they do that....JMO
 
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Tulips are a phototropic flower.. They always move toward the light. No getting around it as far as I know.

It's funny that Eric says his customers like the tulips with accent flowers. Our customers don't... Our customers like them clean. we usually do them with lily grass or sweet huck, curly willow, something like that.

That arrangement Eric showed is really sweet. It's nice and compact and I'd bet our customers would buy something like that if they saw it.
I think I'll create a design similar and get it on our website as well...
 
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Years ago, Gregor Lersch told me "Tulips are the cats of the flower world." In other words, they go where they want, and do what they want regardless of how much met we'd like to control them.

Perfect analogy.

Eric, even in pave' design, we find they grow a few inches and change the look of the arrangement. What diameter of vase are you using?
 
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master J said:
I think it does look better with the accent flowers, so I am going to create a new line of images for tulips instead of using the TF images with no filler.

The tulips dont flop around as much when the filler holds them together and I agree, Eric, the shorter the better :)
Nice picture!

Thanks for the all the replies, I agree tulips will do their own thing...and I have to sometimes go with the flow...but

I just can't have them moving & flopping all over the place on delivery, I believe it is a complaint waiting to happen as they don't look professionally arranged when they do that....JMO
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You can also try doing a binding technique and putting them in the vase like that....I think the major problem you are running into is the 10 stems and making them cheap....if you did 20 stems bound with wire in 2 bunches opposite each other it is quick and easy in a 6" cylinder or gathering vase easy easy....more for their mony and a whole lot less labor...i do alot of bundling in the spring in rectangles and cubes....
 
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CHR said:
Years ago, Gregor Lersch told me "Tulips are the cats of the flower world." In other words, they go where they want, and do what they want regardless of how much met we'd like to control them.

Perfect analogy.

Eric, even in pave' design, we find they grow a few inches and change the look of the arrangement. What diameter of vase are you using?
Click to expand...

I am going to use that line on anyone who questions tulips :)
Thx!

Are tulips the only flower that actually grows in length after being sent out to customer? I can't think of another flower that does that...

sometimes people will take a picture of a vase a week later and the tulips are way above the rest of the flowers.
 
master J said:
I am going to use that line on anyone who questions tulips :)
Thx!

Are tulips the only flower that actually grows in length after being sent out to customer? I can't think of another flower that does that...

sometimes people will take a picture of a vase a week later and the tulips are way above the rest of the flowers.
Click to expand...


I think so, there are a whole bunch of flowers that are phototropic and will move with the light, like snaps, bells and tulips...but they do not grow...
 
well, ranunculus will continue to grow, so will alstroemeria and iris, but it's the second and third laterals and buds that grow on the alstroemeria...
and the iris kind of the same thing.

But ranunculus for sure will get longer.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Oh, I thought of another one... hyacinth
 
Most of your bulb flowers will continue to grow somewhat......reason being that the bulb has so much stored energy that in the growing process is transferred to the flowers and stems.
 
Congratulations master J on your email special!

Selling 25 means you can buy flowers on special, mass-create designs, send emails and quickly sell your already made ready-to-go designs.

I also like the cat analogy. I would suggest you create a little card to attach telling the customer that little interesting analogy the next time.

We also run tulip email specials. They are quite popular with customers.
Below is a campaign we sent out last June.
 

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RC speaks wisdom ya'll. I have a very great friend in the industry. I would venture that a good eighty percent of his everyday work is set to buying, designing, and using a full bunch of this variety or that variety. He buys in bulk and sells in bulk.
 
I took some suggestions and made a few of my own tulip images, I also love heather, and it's running nice right now so thought I would use that with the tulips to help hold them in place a little better....here's a few samples.
 

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master J said:
I took some suggestions and made a few of my own tulip images, I also love heather, and it's running nice right now so thought I would use that with the tulips to help hold them in place a little better....here's a few samples.
Click to expand...


Love these! What are your retail price points for each?
 
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