Tulips as Cut Flowers: Harvesting and planting tulips for the cutting garden!

Ever wondered how flower farms grow tulips for cutting? Get some of the insider tips and tricks in this video as we harvest the first tulips of the season for our CSA bouquets!
From planting tips and a discussion of no till tulip planting, to harvesting and bouquet arranging, we show a bit of everything behind the scenes in this video from the flower farm!
Let us know if you'd like to see more vids like this!

[@eyrerosecottage1970]

Thanks! I just started harvesting tulips today!

[@tramkieu8767]

Hi! Will you make a video on growing lizzies? I've seen the one about growing them in your greenhouse, but it'd be nice to learn what happens after you plant them in the ground, how you care for them to get the best blooms :)

[@llllllllllilillii]

BEAUTIFUL!

[@deniseb2571]

So beautiful 😍

[@randalljosephine615]

Thank you for sharing, do you put them in the fridge with the bulb and water?

[@gardenmore]

I have found that I have to put tulips or any bulbs in a raised bed/pots as we get a lot of rain. With our clay soil they just rot so bad! For now our garden is basically a blank slate 😔

[@brookestranberg4054]

I love watching you make a Bouquet. Have you ever done a video about just that and how you wrap?

[@Blossomandbranch]

We have a couple arranging videos and will add more throughout the season ❤️

[@RachaelCoenen-je6sw]

Love your video! What types of greenery would you recommend putting with tulips?

[@Blossomandbranch]

We used chokecherry sprouts but it’s really best to use whatever is blooming at the same time-a bit later we will have American plum and cherry blossoms!

[@learnaswegrow-CA]

Hi! Two questions: 1.) what type of paper are you using to wrap them/where are you getting it from? 2.) what does your note to your customers say about vase care? Thank you! 🤗

[@MyFocusVaries]

I'm surprised you didn't raise the issue of fungicides that are used to treat the bulbs, since that was the key reason you stated in your other video as why you're not growing tulips in the future. I think it's an important message to get out there to gardeners and growers. And producers, of course, to find an alternative that doesn't impact human health.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Yup! I tend to blather on so I did edit myself down for this video since I’ve addressed it elsewhere, but if anyone’s interested head over to the “5 flowers I’m not growing” video to learn more ❤️

[@GenevieveCreatedOnALark]

I have a bunch of the fancy tulips from costco in a raised bed. If they dont come back year after year, can i remove the bulbs and replant them in the fall? Will that work?

[@cherylbolivar10]

Hello I'm wondering what you do about the tulip bulbs that end up staying in the ground that don't lift out with the stem. I had quite a lot of that happening this season despite first watering and loosening the soil around them. I will plant summer flowers in those tulip spaces but I'm wondering if I need to dig all those bulbs out first or will they just eventually rot? I also don't want to leave any potential diseases incubating in the soil. Would appreciate your advice. TIA 😊

[@phenixwars1]

Great video 👍🏼😊 A friend just gave me a flower arrangement in water with a few tulips in it. Can you tell me how often do I need to change the water? And how long do they usually last in a vase? Thank you!

[@Blossomandbranch]

If you aren’t using flower food I’d change water daily for best results! Depending on where they came from and what stage they were harvested they can last a week to 12-13 days!

[@phenixwars1]

@@Blossomandbranch Wow! That's a really long time! Ok I'll do that. Thank you for replying 😊

[@patriciacole8773]

Could you put the bulb in the refrigerator?

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Daffodils give more value for the buck because they do naturalize. Tulips are lovely and I may find it in my thrifty soul to put some in a container. Most of my money goes to amend my beds with Soil3, an extremely high-quality compost because our natural dirt is clay, Clay does have nutrients, but needs compost to form humus. I am 76 with arthritis and sciatica or I would compost. I do what I can though more slowly, and I pay a gardener every couple weeks to do what I can’t.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Yes, daffodils naturalize and also are much more resistant to being eaten by various garden critters! We have a big row of them but they were hit by a late frost while budded up. I hope that we will get one more flush of them!

[@sarahashley13]

What if we change the expectations of the customer? I don't grow for profit so take what I say with a grain of salt (though I do apply this principle to the veggie starts I sell). Rather than selling tulip bouquets with stems 18-20", why not aim for 12-14" allowing the small scale farmer to leave two leaves on so the bulb can perennialize? This is what I do in my landscape and I gift dozens of beautiful mason jar size+ bouquets each season. I understand that those selling to florists would have more difficulty with this, but the beauty of CSAs or roadside stands is that we connect directly with the customer. Perhaps it's time we change the expectations to align more with better practices and more cost effective growing! It's all about what the customer is willing to pay after all. We can can redefine the norm! Just some thoughts 😊

[@Blossomandbranch]

Unfortunately even leaving the leaves on the bulb does not allow the tulip to perennialize, it is just not how tulips grow in most areas. We have tried this before and they simply don’t rebloom.