I love tulips.  I love a good mix of greenery.  Put them together and it’s easy to create an arrangment to love.  As spring gets into full swing, take advantage of the beauty of the garden.  Bring in branches and flowers and cheer yourself right out of the winter doldrums.

Tulips Are Odd

There are a few unusual things about working with tulips.  First, don’t feed them.  This actually applies to all bulb flowers because they are more delicate and the extra food shortens rather than lengthens their life.  So, no flower food at all.

Cut tulips won’t last long…3-4 days at most.  But those 3-4 days are lovely and well worth it.  Keep the water clean, cut the stems so they have a fresh cut to absorb more water, then sit back and enjoy.  Tulips respond very quickly to warm temperature and will fully open within an hour or two of going from a florist cooler to the warm inside of your home.  Consequently, don’t display them in a sunny place….they won’t last at all.  Find the coolest, shadiest place in your home and the tulips will brighten that corner with ease.

Tulips follow the light.  That is an interesting phenomonen and one that can be frustrating to design with.  If there’s strong light coming from a window on the right, within a few hours all the tulips will be leaning to the right.  Just keep that in mind when creating and placing your arrangement. 

Step by Step Vase Arrangement

1.  I purchased a bunch of mixed greens from the grocery store since my yard is not a source for greenery (mostly cactus and desert plants).  This is a perfect mix of greenery.  It included, myrtle (the tall straight, small leafed branch), salal or lemon leaf (the broad flat leaf branches), spiral eucalyptus (we all know what that is), bear grass (that long drapey grass), a branch of curly willow and some seeded eucalyptus which is probably my favorite green of all time.  It’s got a silvery green leaf and little berry/pods that add great texture and it drapes beautifully.

Seeded eucalyptus - my fave!

 2.  Fill your vase of choice with cool water.  When you want flowers to open more quickly, use warm to lukewarm water – but not with tulips.  Do not add any plant food.  Separate your greens and strip any leaves that are loose or will be below the water line (it makes your water scummy and bacteria filled).

3.  Place the greens into the vase in a criss-crossing, interlocking way.  Start with any greens that have multiple branches and add the single, straight branches last.  Weave the straighter branches through the cluster of multi-branches already in place.  This creates a good solid framework to insert the flowers of choice and will hold them in place.

As I went through the steps I just outlined, I noticed a problem with the way the greens were looking.  See how on the sides there’s a nice drape but right in front its too upright and stiff.  I pulled those tall myrtle branches and moved them to the center, creating this much more pleasing base of greens.

This mix of greens is so pretty it almost doesn't need flowers. Loose and flowing with a good mix of color and shapes - I love it!

4.  Add flowers.  Tulips will naturally bend and droop so I placed those tulips on the outside edges of the vase to bend over the sides.  The straighter ones I put more to the center.  This robust mix of greens could have easily handled another 6-8 blooms, but grocery bunches just don’t come that way.

Springy tulips added.

A pretty close-up.

 Add a Pretty Bud Vase

I wanted to add a touch of spring to my bathroom as well so I used a couple of scraps of greens and one of the tulips for this quick and easy vase.

And just like that you have brought the first touch of spring indoors to enjoy!  What’s your favorite spring flower?  Do you look forward to tulips, crocus, lilacs or hydrangeas?  Whatever your spring flower of choice…..bloom time isn’t far off. 

I’m adding today’s project to Funky Junk’s DIY crafting party so click through and see lots of amazing projects.

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