Tulips in many colors and shapes

Tulips are favorite seasonal flowers that bring springtime indoors from December until the end of May. Did you know that they come in a very wide choice of colors and shapes?

Plenty of choice

Tulips are usually sold in solid colors like yellow, green, orange, purple, red, pink and white. And did you know that there are hundreds of varieties to choose from? They are available in all kinds of different shapes: single and double flowered tulips, parrot tulips, peony-flowered tulips, lily-flowered tulips, fringed tulips, and crispa tulips. But maybe you’re looking for tulips with more than one color in a single flower. If so, there are also flamed tulips, tulips with colored stripes and even tulips with different colors on the margins of their petals.

Unusual varieties

Some tulips are head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to originality. One of them, ‘Ice Cream’, looks almost good enough to eat. A white flower emerges unexpectedly out of this tulip’s pink petals. Some double-flowered tulips have so many petals, and even a delightful fragrance, that they resemble peonies. So it’s no wonder that they are called peony tulips. French tulips are especially long and heavy and produce large lush flowers. They make a dramatic presentation as they hang gracefully over the rim of a vase.

Care

Needless to say, you’ll want to enjoy your tulips as long as possible. But how, exactly? Trim off the soft stems of your tulips at an angle. Arrange the tulips in a clean vase filled with tap water at room temperature. Choose a location for the tulips which is not overly warm and also far away from any fruit bowl. Have the stems become limp? Just roll them up in some newspaper and put them in water for a couple of hours. By then, they’ll be standing up straight and tall.