Harvesting Tulips as Cut Flowers
This year, after seeing a few farms I follow on social media using this method, I decided to try this technique for growing tulips as cut flowers. (Forewarning, I am no expert, this is my first year trying this, but that is why I am sharing my experience, and how I am doing things, right? :)
Tulips are actually one of my favorite flowers but I have surprisingly not planted any, actually ever! We just happen to have tulips that come up sporadically throughout our perennial beds, and not that many either. Half a dozen in front of the house next to a fern, two in the front by all the peonies, and a few growing under our front awning in landscaping next to hydrangeas, not even enough for a full bouquet. That being said it is no love lost if this doesn't work out, they need to be relocated and intentionally planted.
I intend to use the tulips for a spring bouquet or split them and add other spring flowers to make a few bouquets to sell. Since this is my purpose, I pulled my tulips when I could see what color they were but they hadn't yet opened up yet. Unfortunately by the time I decided to try this, two were already a deep red and about to open but I pulled them as well, since I am pulling all (maybe a dozen) of my tulips this year to restart next. Pulling them with the bulb on will also allow for extra stem length when using them in bouquets.
All of the "how to harvest tulips" or "how to pull tulips with the bulbs on" videos made it look very easy to simply loosen the dirt and pull the tulip from the stem with the bulb attached. But I quickly found that in my circumstance, that was not the case, at all! Since the tulips were in such random locations and years old many of them were growing under and through roots of other plants and even trees! Therefore, I had to do a lot of extra digging but be gentle enough to not damage the bulb, tulip flower, stem and leaves.
After some digging, I was able to loosen the dirt by hand and pull the tulip out with the bulb attached (super satisfying)!
I took all of the tulips that were ready, about eight of them, wrapped them tightly in recycled tissue paper and put them in our basement refrigerator where they can remain for up to a month.
From my research, the next steps will be to take them out of the refrigerator (I have read they will look like they are in poor shape, but not to worry), cut off the bulb, and place the freshly cut stems in water. After a couple of hours the tulips will revive and last 5-10 days depending on how well they are cared for.
The bulbs will not be replanted but will be composted. The simplest way this has been explained to me is that if these bulb are replanted, they will not regenerate a flower because the they need the carbohydrates from the foliage to do so.
I plan to buy enough tulip bulbs this summer to plant an entire row of tulips this fall in the cut flower garden for easy and abundant harvesting next spring!
Wondering about my adorable Chicken Boots? If am in the garden I am usually in my Chicken Boots or my tall Hunter Boots, something entirely rubber that is comfortable yet easy to wash off! I also wear these cute Floral Pattern Gardening Work Gloves for everything outdoors, they are hands down my favorite gardening glove. I have three or four pairs of them, they go with my girly style yet provide protection with the rubber grip side and breathability on top. Products linked are my favorites or highly recommended for each project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See something you like? Click it! It helps support the amazing content on this site.
I hope you found this helpful or inspiring! If so, please let me know by leaving a comment! Remember to come back regularly to keep up with my farm, art, restoration and other miscellaneous adventures. Thank you!
Xoxo, B
