A Bunch for the Weekend - # 38 - A Bunch of Parrot Tulips

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring an assortments of very simple arrangements using a bunch of parrot tulips.

Parrot tulips have a strange beauty and are quite dramatic - like all tulips they have a life of their own. It makes them a bit hard to handle but it also make them more interesting.

You'll need:

- 14 stems of parrot tulips in different colours

- 3 vintage milk bottles

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- florists snippers or scissors

- a florist bucket

As always - you need to condition the flowers - remove all the lower leaves that would end up below the waterline in the vase. Cut the stems at an angle - to increase water absorption. Put in a clean container with fresh water and leave in a cool place over night or at least a few hours before making the final arrangement. 

You might have to re-cut the stems while making the final arrangement to suit the size of the container.

I love all tulips - sometimes I want to try to control them and cut them quite short. Other times I let them just do their thing and as they continue growing in the vase - they end up 'dancing' and move every which way. Just lovely - a tiny little bit like children.

Remove all the lower leaves and any that are broken or bruised. Measure the stems against the container before making the final cut. You can always cut more - but you can't put any back! So always be on the cautious side when you cut.

I have used three vintage clear glass milk bottles - the two with a little bit wider neck are both English and the one with the narrow neck is from Sweden.

I have used both even and uneven number of flower stems in the milk bottles. Sometimes just two are enough or you just don't have the right number and often it doesn't matter.

In the art world as well as in floristry and garden design you are always taught to work with odd numbers of flowers and plants. Well, rules are sometimes made to be broken!

Just work with whatever you have and more than anything enjoy the beauty of the tulips. Spring is soon here!!

Have a Happy Floral Saturday and Enjoy the Weekend!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer]