Ask Ella: Tulips Age Quickly
Tulips are often associated with pleasant gestures and friendship– they’re a flower less amorous in nature than the rose, but with a simplicity and color palette of a similar variety and depth. The problem with tulips, however, is that they don’t last very long. Once cut, most tulips wither within 48 hours, and until that point, they continuously grow– even when cut and arranged in a vase.
Part of the beauty of tulips has to do with the way they wilt: over the course of their growth cycle, tulips open up beautifully, until eventually falling victim to the laws of nature (you’ll know when they’re done because the petals will start to fall off).
If you are mixing tulips with other flowers, it’s best to pair them with anemones because they have the same life span– anemones, like tulips, also continue to grow in water. Like tulips, their transition is part of the beauty– what tulips lack in longevity they gain in grace: as you can see in the gallery below, they are one of the most “beautiful” wilted flowers, opening up and ultimately falling with dignity in the course of their short lifespan.
