Trying out what the florists do is always a good way to learn to appreciate their hard-earned skills. I have no arranging skills to speak of, but I tried out this technique last week, illustrated in the photo above, of putting a twist on tulip stems...
I bought 30 stems (less than half of what was used by George in the top photo), which cost about $25 at the farmer's market. The first step is to strip off the bottom two leaves on each stem.
Next, stack the blossoms so that the blossom tops are all in line with each other and then gather the whole bundle up with two rubber bands. Make sure the rubber bands are not so tight. Then cut the stem bottoms so that they are flat. Also, make sure the stems are not tangled up, but lying parallel to each other.
The stems then need to be gently twisted in opposite directions. George's arrangement has clear rubber bands, but I only had the red bands that came with the flowers.
Depending on the vessel and the number of flowers, you may need to fuss a bit with the stems to get the entire arrangement to be stable. George's example also has a vase with a lip at the perfect height to the stems as they bend.
Just for fun, I used one of our shallow cereal bowls as a vase - and the stem bottoms were kept in check by the edge of the bowl.
This was my first attempt. It is a fairly simple technique, but it is important to be careful with each step. Cleaning off the two bottom leaves from all 30 stems was the most time-consuming step. I have no doubt it looks better with experience and I could easily see using this on other flowers, or without the rubber bands, just to neaten them up when putting them in a tall vase.
Michael George arranged the cover flowers for The Art of Floral Arranging. He is well known for his elegant monochromatic arrangements. The small book is more of an introduction to a select group of NY florists than a book full of floral design ideas. Each NY-based floral artist introduced demonstrates an arrangement they are known for; this was George's.
matt at apartment therapy dot com
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i think it looks great! i want some tulips, dang.
view kdkaboom's profile
Simple and beautiful! I'll do this with my own tulips, if they ever emerge.
view farmhousemoderne's profile
Looks great. And the instruction photos are excellent. I am assuming that one could cover the rubber bands with narrow grosgrain ribbon (or lace), for example, and use two sided tape to keep it in place.
view LauraE's profile
how about some posts on vases for those of us who are vase-less? (we never had much of a selection, but discovered this weekend as we were madly hunting for homes for 3 floral arrangements, that all we have are beer glasses and cookie jars)
view mschatelaine's profile
awww, now my tulips look like crap! haha :)
and I agree with LauraE's idea, and piece of wide ribbon or two narrow ribbon pieces would be a nice way to hide the rubber bands.
view sparkle's profile
Interesting use of the cereal bowl! Enjoyed the tips. I buy flowers often and always have issues arranging them to look amazing. I always end up cutting the stems too short, removing too many leaves, etc. I think I need to buy that book!
view So Haute's profile
So simple. And I love the idea of the cereal bowl. I wish we had a farmer's market this time of year. Until then, I'm buying tuilips at the grocery store for more $$$.
view farleece's profile
you could also try to cover the rubber bands with some of the tulip leaves, although they are pretty thick and probably difficult to manipulate
view rebecca326's profile
i have ten tulips at home!
view SD913's profile
Use clear rubber bands, the ones girls use for ponytails and you won't have to look at unsightly rubber bands.
view jeffnyc's profile
you know the penny trick for tulips? put a penny in the bottom of the vase (in the water) and it will make your tulips last longer!
view hoboken_melanie's profile
Tulips will last longer if you put them in cold, shallow water.
Tulips actually continue to grow after they've been cut. If you mix them with other flowers, cut them shorter than the rest of the blooms.
For an instant vase, cut the top off plastic water bottles. Evian bottles, in particular, make an elegant-looking container.
For a single bloom or several thin-stemmed delicate flowers, I use a Waterford perfume bottle that someone gave me years ago. Right now it's full of checkerboard fritillaria. I also use a whiskey tot for tiny bouquets. Right now it's holding miniature pink serena roses and deep purply-blue muscari.
view slmnyc's profile
So stylish and simple at the same time! Thank you for the step by step instructions and the book suggestion. I will try to make my own before this week-end.
Like slmnyc said, the key for keeping your tulips longer is simply cold water. Thus, update everyday the cold water and you will enjoy them for many days.
view At Home with kim vallee's profile
Oh! I just bought tulips in the same color two days ago. What a great idea. thanks. I wonder where clear rubber bands can be found?
view kimg924's profile