Tulips are one of the most popular winter flowers, elegant, seasonal, and easy to bring into the home. They work in almost any space and don’t need much styling, which is part of their appeal. But once they’re in a vase, they can behave a little differently to other blooms. If you’ve ever noticed them changing shape quickly or not lasting as long as expected, it usually comes down to how they’re cared for in those first few days.

The first thing to know: Tulips are still growing, even after they’ve been cut.

When you bring them home, unwrap them as soon as you can. They’ve likely been kept snug and upright, which is why the stems might feel quite straight at first. That won’t last (and shouldn’t).

Give each stem a fresh trim, just a couple of centimetres off the bottom, at a 45 degree angle. It helps them drink properly and resets them after the journey from the florist to home. 

This is the part people often get wrong. Tulips will bend and lean dramatically. Sometimes they’ll look like they’re reaching sideways out of the vase, but that movement is completely natural, and part of what makes them so beautiful at home.

They’re phototropic, meaning they respond to light. If your vase sits near a window, you’ll notice it slowly turning towards it throughout the day.

You can rotate the vase daily if you want a more balanced look, but you don’t have to. There’s something nice about letting them do their thing.

Tulips aren’t thirsty in the way you’d expect.

Too much water in your vase will encourage your tulips to grow faster. You'll end up with floppy stems, open heads and increased wilting - all within a few days. To avoid this, keep the water level low, just a couple of centimetres above the cut end of the stems.

Refresh the water every couple of days, and give the stems another small trim if they start to look tired. It’s a small reset that makes a difference.

Tulips and heat don’t get along.

Try to keep them away from heaters, direct sunlight, or warm appliances (kitchens can be a sneaky culprit here). A cooler spot will help them last longer and slow down the speed at which they open.

If you really want to stretch their lifespan, you can even move them somewhere cooler overnight, a hallway, a laundry, anywhere the temperature drops slightly. It’s not essential, just one of those little things that helps.

Caring for tulips isn’t about making them last forever; it’s about helping them last a little longer, while still noticing the shift from tight and upright to open and expressive.

These tips will help extend their life in the vase, but tulips will still do what tulips do. They change quickly, and that’s part of their charm. Winter’s favourite not because they stay perfect, but because they don’t, so it’s worth enjoying the process as they unfold.