TULIP IN THE MARCH FLORAL TREND MOODBOARD

We are celebrating March, when spring begins with the Tulip! The flower from the Tulipa genus exudes freshness, sturdiness and colour, and helps to bring spring a step closer. Growers therefore do their best to supply the flower as early as possible by forcing the Tulip to bloom.

Origin

Clogs, windmills and Tulips – the Dutch trinity. Aren’t they? Well not quite. The flower originates from Turkey, where Ottoman Sultans wore a Tulip on their turban. The first shipment of Tulip bulbs arrived in Antwerp in 1562, marking the start of Dutch bulb growing. New shapes and colours quickly developed and filled the fields of the Netherlands.

Range & assortment

Nowadays over 3000 cultivars of Tulip bulbs are grown on 10,000 hectares in the Netherlands. Of those cultivars, approximately 600 are available in the cut flower trade. Breeding has now created fifteen groups of tulips, classified by leaf and flower shape, natural flowering period and/or height. Tulips come in almost all the colours of the spectrum, including flowers edged with fringes, green splashes in the flower and double flowers that could almost pass for peonies.

What to look for when buying tulips

• The weight determines the Tulip’s appearance – large bulbs produce the heaviest Tulips with the biggest flowers;
• The height and stage of ripeness must correspond. This stage of ripeness is expressed in numbers from 1 (unripe) to 5 (ripe);
• The flowers must be healthy when bought. Tulips sometime suffer from botrytis or have yellow leaf tips. Weak, shiny spots on the stem indicate ‘tippers’ or ‘water stems’, which will not result in sturdiness in the vase;
• Some growers pre-treat Tulips in order to reduce the growth of the stems and counteract leaf yellowing.

Care tips for professionals

• Tulips can easily grow another 5 to 15 cm in the bucket. You can prevent them from growing too much by keeping them for a short period and in cool conditions. Place them on a shallow layer of water;
• Tightly wrap Tulips in paper to keep them nice and firm and prevent them from growing crooked;
• Work in clean and dry conditions: botrytis can easily affect these fresh, leafy flowers;
• If you are using Tulips in a bouquet or arrangement, allow for the growth spurt;
• Add bulb flower food to a mixed bouquet of Tulips and Narcissus. Narcissus exudes slime after being cut – the food prevents this from damaging the Tulips.

Display tips for professionals

The peak Tulip season runs from January to mid-April. You therefore have the pick of all the types and colours in March. A sizable bouquet with Tulips in different colours is simple but irresistible. Fancy some thing more traditional? The elegant shape of parrot tulips fits perfectly in beautiful 17th century style still-lives, combined with Ranunculus, Carnations, Hydrangea and Eucalyptus, for example.

March’s Spring Colour Palette

FLOWER AGENDA 2020

Same as the Flower Agenda of 2019, the Flower Agenda 2020 is set by Flower Council of Holland, which means that they are the content owners – this also includes the photos in this article.

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