French Tulip

The French tulip is a type of tulip that was hybridized to be a beautiful cut flower. It is grown for its long stem and large flowers. Like all tulips, for the home grower they are grown from bulbs.  Flower growers love these perennials for their extra long stems and larger flower heads for designing bouquets. They are also known commonly as Single Late Tulips. Lesser known names that are used are Cottage, Darwin, or Sheepers’ Hybrid. Those of you who live in zones three to eight will have the best of luck growing these excellent flowers.

Tulips for your wedding

If you are looking for the perfect spring bridal bouquet, the French tulip is the ideal choice alone or paired with other flowers like grape hyacinth, roses, viburnnums, lilacs or other seasonal flowers. A simple mass of French tulips makes an elegant statement with a gown of any design. Working together tulips and other flowers throughout your decor brings style and good taste to designing your special day. Make your wedding  special with tulips.

Tulips for Mothers Day

Blooming in May, they are perfect for Mother’s day celebrations. Mom will always remember her tulip bouquet carrying in the freshness of spring. It is nice to keep mom in mind each year with flowers that bring this feeling and remembrance to her special day. Giving mom flowers is an expression that conveys balance and an impression of  family and home. It is a way to tell her the importance and meaning she has brought to your life. 

Designing a bouquet

 Flowers connect us to the natural world by their beauty and fragrance. Indoors is a natural way to enjoy them. Tulips will continue to lengthen their stems and will need to be checked daily to keep your arrangement fresh.  Floral designers cut the stems of flowers diagonally and immerse them in water with flower food as quickly as possible to prolong the life of the cut flower. Water should also be changed every day, with fresh food added. Most florists carry floral food as a staple in their businesses. Your vase should be wide enough to fit all the flowers and hold enough water to have all the stems submerged. You can design the bouquet by  holding them in your hand, working from the center outwards and then cutting the stems, or by starting with the vase and placing them flower by flower until you have enough to fill your vase. The flowers naturally curve outward and it is easy to place each stem to make a pleasing design. A mounded bouquet  is made cutting the flowers in three lengths. Work from the rim of the vase inward with the shortest flowers on the rim and the tallest in the center. Cutting the flowers the same length is easy and is also delightful to the eye.   

French tulip propagation

Planting tulips in your garden gives border gardens a look of stateliness and are ideal in containers. Masses of French tulips make a spectacular display. They are great performers in either the ornamental garden or the cutting garden and are dependable year after year. Make sure they are listed as French tulips or Single Late tulips to get up to the 30 inch in length you are looking for. Some growers recommend pulling the bulbs early summer and planting again in fall to get the full life out of the bulb. They can bring life and color to your spring garden.

Picking French tulips as a mainstay for your garden or arrangements starts you learning the refinements of using flowers to enhance living. It is nice to carry with you the gratifying relationship of adding flowers to your every day life. Flowers make us feel happy, brighten up the day and enrich our lives.