Tulips are one of the prettiest and most popular flowers in the world. Taking between 7 and 12 years to flower, and blooming in a wide variety of highly appealing colours and patterns, tulips have long fascinated and enthralled humankind. Even today, a good tulip display can add an eye-catching splash of colour and vibrancy to any home’s décor.
But which type of vase best accentuates this natural beauty?
The easy and obvious answer is a tulip vase. First developed in the Netherlands in the 1600s, tulip vases can take various forms, but were (and are) specifically designed and made for the presentation of tulips. Historically, tulip vases were fine, expensive items (many reside in museums today) that were designed for the express purpose of displaying what was, at one time, the world’s most exotic and desirable flower.
Tulip vases, like their floral namesake, are available in a wide array of designs, styles, and sizes, a fact that can sometimes leave the consumer feeling spoiled for choice.
Tulip vases are a great choice because they are designed with tulips in mind. However, if you don’t own one (or you just feel like trying something different) we can offer a few further recommendations.
A plain and simple tapered glass vase is also a great choice for displaying tulips. The flowers are eye-catching enough that they don’t need a brightly coloured or intricately patterned vase. A simple glass vase will help to present the flowers in the most appealing way possible.
Because tulips are bright and intensely colourful, it may not be best to place them in a similarly colourful receptacle, as this could lead to clashing aesthetics. In fact, mindful of the long and fascinating history of tulips, we suggest placing your flowers in an antique bottle or plain vase – something that effortlessly recalls the aesthetics of a bygone era.
Tulips move and grow according to the light in your home, so consider this when selecting your vase.
Regardless of which vase style you choose, we recommend selecting something simple and elegant that compliments the natural aesthetic of the flowers that will be placed within.
Tulips have long been admired for their beauty. In fact, humankind’s fascination with these slow-growing flowers was once so intense that it brought an entire economy to its knees.
In the 1600s, the Dutch Republic was the richest country in the world, partly due to their export of tulips (a super-expensive item at the time) around the world. Demand for these exotic flowers began to exceed supply, however. The prices skyrocketed, making tulips worth more than houses, and even gold!
Eventually, the sale of tulips became what economists refer to as a ‘futures’ market. Money was changing hands for the promise of tulips, rather than the tulips themselves. While still in the ground, bulbs could change hands as often as 10 times a day! By 1636, the price of tulip bulbs plummeted, and took the Dutch economy down with it.
So, tulips are not only beautiful, they are also an historic flower with a fascinating story to tell.
Tulips are a wonderful choice for any home because they are easy to care for, they change daily, and they look stunning.
As for upkeep, we recommend removing yellowed and wilted petals and leaves by hand, as this will improve the flower’s longevity. It also helps to change their water daily. Once the tulips are placed in the water, they may appear to be a little rigid, however, they will loosen up over time.
Finally, the best piece of advice we can give is to ‘let the flowers do the talking’, and choose a vase that highlights, rather than detracts from, the impressive visual display you are selecting. After all, nature has already done the hard part for you! Your job, then, is simply to present these wonderful flowers in the most visually pleasing manner possible.