5 Tricks You Should Try to Keep Tulips from Wilting

There are many beautiful indicators of spring: light rain showers, the sun beginning to rise earlier and set later, allergies, and, of course, the blooming tulips. With their soft and elegant blooms and vibrant color variations, tulips instantly brighten up any space.

But when a tulip wilts, the weight of its head often tips the stem into a sad-looking, downward-facing bloom, no longer stretching towards the sun.

Keeping cut tulips fresh in a bouquet or vase isn’t a hard science to crack: with a few interesting techniques and a bit of TLC, you can extend the lifespan of your tulips and enjoy their beauty for even longer.

Here are a few smart hacks we love for keeping tulips fresher longer in a vase.

Make sure your vase is clean, and fill it up with fresh, room-temperature water. When you get your tulip bouquet, trim the stems at an angle before you arrange them in the vase and soak them in lukewarm water for about an hour.

Then, pick out a smart spot to display your tulip bouquet. A cool area away from direct sunlight and heat sources—like your radiator—is the way to go.

Cooler temperatures help reduce water loss, which is, of course, pretty helpful for keeping your tulips looking plump and happy for longer.

The Spruce / Sanja Kostic

Oftentimes, a commercial floral preservative will come with your tulip bouquet. These solutions contain nutrients that help to feed and nourish the flowers, along with additives to prevent bacterial growth in the water. If your flowers come with it, go ahead and mix that in. If your flowers don’t, you can make your own flower food.

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Some floral arrangers swear by this little trick. Take an aspirin tablet and crush it up, then drop that into the vase water. Aspirin has