Tulip Photography Tips

In today's article we decided to give you a couple of tips about shooting tulips. More specifically, we wanted to look at different shooting options, right down to macro. Naturally, for real 1:1 macro photography you need a special macro lens, but, nevertheless, it is still possible to achieve quite good results when photographing certain close-up objects from close distances with a regular standard lens.

1. In order to achieve maximum magnification of the object in the frame, you need to photograph with the maximum possible increased focal length of the lens. For our camera it is 80 mm. Under such shooting conditions, the space in the frame seems to shrink, and the tulips, which in reality are approximately 15-20 centimeters apart, in the photograph look as if they are located very close to each other. That’s why, when shooting like this, it’s very important to choose such an angle so that each of the flowers is isolated, and several tulips do not merge into one common spot. Here's an example of what comes of it:

2. When shooting macro with a kit lens, you can use exposure bracketing. Our camera has this function. Look at these pictures here. They clearly show that the exposure, which can be considered the best for an ordinary photograph, when photographing tulips turns out to be worse than when overexposed by one level. In an overexposed frame, some kind of lightness appears in the tulip flowers. Their petals become like velvet.

3. When shooting like this, focus should be set to manual mode. Otherwise, the camera’s automation will focus the lens on something completely different from the object you want to focus on. Moreover, there is absolutely no need to open the diaphragm fully. With a wide open aperture, even one flower may not enter the depth of the sharply imaged space, and its front part will be sharp, and the back part will already go into the blur zone. In general, when photographing flowers such as tulips, you need to look at each situation specifically and make as many takes as possible, photographing with different settings, from different points and from different angles. If you still have little experience, then the percentage of quality personnel you will have will not be that high - 10-20%.

4. In order to liven up your photos a little, we recommend spraying the tulips with water. This can be done using an ordinary home sprayer, which we use to spray our indoor plants in the heat, and if you don’t have one at hand, then it’s not difficult to make man-made rain by sprinkling the tulips with water directly from your hand. In the sun, these droplets of dew or just rain will look very beautiful.

5. Try to photograph scarlet tulips against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky with light clouds running across it. It will make a great photo. Or you can even put the camera on the ground between the tulips and take a shot like this:

6. By photographing tulips, you can make them a compositional element, a kind of decoration for photographs of other objects. Well, at least the same garden house. Well, about the same as in this photo.

Well, that's all for today. You have read the brief results of our home test of the Olympus e-510 camera with its kit lens when shooting close-up small objects using tulips as an example. Naturally, if we had shot with a special macro lens, or used specialized studio light, or invited some world-class photographer from Europe, and then passed off his photographs as our own, then our pictures would have turned out much more interesting. There would be no need to even go to Holland for the tulip exhibition. But, alas, such pleasure is not available to many of us, and we have to get out of the situation, relying on our own ingenuity, imagination, our experience and the experience of other photographers.

Tulip Photography Tips

2. The second point is composition.

Once you have an idea, now it’s worth thinking about how to properly translate this idea into a photo. When composing the frame, think about how you can emphasize the beauty of the flower, the uniqueness and atmosphere that reigns around it, and how to make the photograph evoke in the viewer the same emotions as you do.

When building a composition, be sure to pay attention to the foreground and background, since gardens or lawns with flowers are always full of various distracting objects: a barn, a fence, signs with inscriptions, people and more. Look for the optimal shooting angle to avoid “photo trash” in the frame.

Another trick to a successful composition when photographing flowers is simplicity. If there are too many details and colors in the frame, then the viewer’s attention will be scattered, the eyes will run around the frame and will not be able to concentrate on anything. There is a good rule in advertising photography - the “rule of air”, that is, the picture should have the required amount of free space, this will allow the eyes to “breathe”. If you look at professional photographs of flowers, you will notice that the simplest ones are the best! No wonder they say: “Everything is ingenious and simple!”

When photographing flowers, the rule of thirds, which is used in landscape photography, also applies, as well as the rule of odd numbers. Remember that in a photograph an odd number of similar objects always looks more interesting than an even number. For example, it is not 2 or 4 flowers that look more beautiful in a photograph, but 3 or 5. Because, with an odd number of objects, one is always located between the others, thereby attracting attention. This method is also used in advertising photography.

The next method is compositional and technical details. There is nothing complicated here, try different angles, shoot from different angles, change the depth of field, play with shadows and light - find the best option.

Do not photograph the flower from above. Walking through a field among wild flowers or along a garden path, we look down at the flowers growing close to the ground, don’t we? Therefore, if you photograph flowers while standing, the photographs will turn out good or, in other words, ordinary. In order to create a photo that is of particular interest to others, you need to photograph a flower from an angle from which we rarely see it. Naturally, this means that the flower should not be photographed from above. Instead, you need to go down to the level of the flower. This is one of the little things that all professionals do and almost never take into account by amateur photographers.

3. Use natural lighting

I don't recommend using flash when photographing flowers - I don't like the effect it creates. The light from the flash is too harsh, and when photographing flowers and plants, soft, slightly diffused light is ideal. In terms of lighting, flower photography can be compared to portrait photography; excellent results can be obtained on a cloudy, cloudy day, when the light is diffused.

5. Avoid “movement”

When photographing flowers in their natural environment, the photographer must face his natural enemy - the wind. There is nothing more tedious and irritating than waiting (with your camera fully set and aimed) for the wind to die down enough to allow you to take the desired photo. This problem is especially true in macro photography, where even the slightest movement can spell disaster. You can resort to using an old trick (which rarely works) and shield the flower from the wind with your own body. But it is much easier to use the automatic functions of the camera to cope with the problem described.

Choose shutter priority mode, which allows the photographer to manually set only the shutter speed, while all other settings (such as aperture) are set automatically to create the ideal exposure. Select a shutter speed of 1/500 sec. This will help avoid negative consequences in a photograph of a flower taken in windy weather (of course, unless there is a real hurricane outside).

If this shutter speed does not help solve the problem, then you should proceed to plan “B”, which is to use the wind that interferes with the photography: if the wind cannot be overcome, then you need to use it. Use a very slow shutter speed so that the movement of the flower under gusts of wind is captured in the photo. While the shutter is open, a flower swaying in the wind will leave a blurry mark on the image. Such an image will look completely different, as if the photographer managed to photograph the wind itself. Try this method of “photographing the wind”, and perhaps the next time you set up your camera, you will be specifically waiting for a gust of wind to take another beautiful photo.

6. Flowers on a black background

To create one of the most impressive compositions, just photograph a flower against a black background. You can add a black background using Photoshop, but this can be very time consuming. Professional photographers simply place something black behind the flower to make the background of the photo appear black.

7. Shooting against a white background

Another very attractive background for photographing flowers can be white. You can purchase two sheets of thick white cardboard, approximately 20x30 cm in size. Place one sheet behind the flowers to create a background, and use the other to reflect natural light from a window (if shooting indoors) to illuminate the background using indirect rays. Place the flowers a meter away from the background, illuminated by indirect sunlight. The background in the photo will look as if it was created using a graphics editor.

8. Reflected light for shooting flowers indoors.

To photograph flowers indoors, you don’t have to buy expensive lighting equipment (and spend a lot of money on them), since flowers love natural, diffused light. By calling the light diffused, I mean that the flowers will not be exposed to direct sunlight. Therefore, soft light from the window is quite suitable for shooting. And if the window is also dirty, even really dirty, then this is even better, since the light falling through it will be even more diffused. Thus, to take pictures, it is enough to find a window in your home or office that does not receive direct sunlight. Place the flowers near a window so that the light falls on them from the side. If the light falls on the flowers from above, they will appear a little flat in the photo. To give the colors volume, you need to use appropriate lighting (in this case, side lighting). Set up your tripod so that you can photograph the flowers at eye level (remember that it is not recommended to photograph flowers from above). Now the flowers are ready to be photographed in beautiful soft lighting, for which the reader did not spend a single penny.

How to make a flower photo extraordinary

Every novice photographer first takes up photographing blooming objects. Why? First of all, because flowers have texture and are bright in color, which means there is a high probability of getting a “beautiful photograph.” But in order for the flower to look interesting in the photo, you should still adhere to some rules that have been proven over the years, despite the fact that beginners unsuccessfully try to break them and the observance of which professionals have almost no doubt.

by Zuzia Paluch

Use lenses with a focal length of 50mm or longer. Telephoto lenses work well.
Light flowers from below or from the side using the sun or flash. This way you will increase the transparency of the petals.
Choose your shooting angle consciously. Remember that a photo from a low angle is used to obtain an unusual shape. Shooting at eye level allows for a realistic look.
The closer you shoot, the less visible the flower is and the more it looks like an abstract image.
Don't forget to pay attention to the background. If you don't like the background, use a shallow depth of field to blur it.
As with portraits, the best time to photograph flowers is the golden hour, when the sun is low on the horizon.

Which lens should I use for shooting?

When you shoot with a wide-angle lens, you can add more background to the picture. Of course, you won’t be able to capture the details, but making the photo interesting is quite possible. These lenses are good for photographing flower beds or flower fields. The photos will be rhythmic and dynamic.

by Manish Kumar

When choosing a 50 mm lens or a telephoto lens, you need to be prepared for the fact that it is unlikely that you will be able to take a general shot. This focal length is suitable for portrait photography, which means the flowers will be large, with visible details. You need to pay attention to the composition, since a close-up is not always interesting in itself. Well, who hasn’t seen the pistils and stamens of tulips? There are probably no such people in general, and even less so among photography admirers.

by Vie Lipowski

The importance of lighting in photography

The way out of the “difficult situation” when you only have a long-focus lens for shooting can be original illumination of the object. Try to position yourself so that the bud is illuminated from the back side. When held up to light, some flower petals have a very beautiful pattern. You will see amazing “veins and arteries”, as well as their interweaving.

Another favorite option for photographing flowers is from bottom to top, with the heads reaching towards the sky. The blue sky serves as a great contrast. If there are clouds, the picture will add drama.

Remember that if you shoot without backlighting against the sun, you risk getting only a silhouette, so use backlighting of the flower from the front using a flash or reflector. Don’t forget that you can catch “hares” in the lens, which, by the way, should also be correct and beautiful when used in the composition. Photographing flowers in backlight is not prohibited by anyone; the photographer himself determines whether it is worth shooting against the sun and whether the result will be so good as to risk his own vision and the camera’s matrix.

How to choose the right angle

As mentioned above, flowers turn out well if you shoot them from below. Many novice photographers forget that it is very important to change your own position when taking photographs.

By photographing flowers from below, you can see and capture unusual shapes and unconventional angles. When going to a photo shoot, make sure to take something under your knees with you. By descending to the ground, you will change the position of the camera, which means you will get a different angle, a type of flower that people do not see in everyday life.

by almalki abdullrahman

Don't forget that photos that show off the texture of the petals clearly or convey color in an unusual way will work well. Take a photo of part of the flower. Let the petals serve as a background for the core. The closer you shoot, the more abstract the image. In the end, you can even just show the lines or just the color.

by Jacky Parker

If you photograph an object partially, you will end up with a completely different image than what you originally saw in front of you, which means you can demonstrate not only creativity, but also a unique point of view on the entire flower photograph as a whole.

How to choose a background for photography

You've probably noticed that when the background looks good, the whole composition looks good. This postulate should lead every beginning photographer to believe that using a wide open aperture when photographing flowers will produce excellent results. By softening (blurring) the background you can create a composition solely about the flower and nothing else.

by Magda Bognar

With an aperture of f/1.4, f/2.0, f/2.8, you get such bokeh that it is possible to give the image a somewhat surreal look and make the flower more voluminous.

If you have a zoom lens that only opens to f/4.0 or f/5.6, set it to 50mm or 70mm, and for nice bokeh, try to keep the flower as far away from the background as possible. You should be in close proximity to the subject, and the flower should be about 90–150 cm from the background.

How to show the texture of a flower

Shoot at a time when the sun is low enough above the horizon. This approach will provide a more textured rendering. The best time for photography is called the golden hour. You can even use an online calculator to determine the best time to shoot in your area.

But there are plant varieties that do not always open flowers at a time convenient for the photographer. You can find interesting specimens for shooting both in bright sun and in deep shade. An on-camera flash or a small reflector will help you get out of a difficult situation with lighting (read more in the material “How to use a reflector to control natural light”). Using the light dial, you can control the light, highlighting dark areas or softening the harsh direct rays of the sun.

Why photo quality and color depend on light

The color of the flower depends on the light in which the shooting takes place. You will love the end result if you work with soft and diffused light. With this lighting, more nuances of color and texture of the petals appear. The depth of field will become more noticeable, which means the photo will be taken more artistically.

The worst thing a photographer of almost any skill level can think of is to shoot in midday light, when the direct rays of the sun directly illuminate the subject, knocking out all the nuances of texture and shades. Shoot during the day and you're guaranteed to have flat images that lack depth, color, or idea.

Shoot early in the morning when the sun is just rising above the horizon or at sunset. You will achieve a wonderful warm tone in the flowers. Soft light will emphasize the depth in the photo, clearly draw details and give the photo a finished look. It is best for the sun to illuminate the object from the side. Left or right – it doesn’t matter, since side lighting will be good for the plant in any case.

by Laura Pashkevich

Sunlight is the most important assistant for a photographer who is passionate about photographing the plant world. Study it and your photographs will always be distinguished by originality, quality and style.

Photogora video channel

How to photograph tulips beautifully

Everyone who has tulips loves to photograph them. After all, tulips are beautiful, each of them is unique, they attract us with their beauty and diversity. When showing photographs of tulips , we always tell our friends: “In life they are much more beautiful,” let’s listen to the advice of professionals, so that later they tell us: “Your garden is beautiful with tulips, but in the photo it’s just a fairy tale!”

extraordinary , with their beautiful inflorescences and rich shades of yellow, red, pink, orange, white, Tulips are a worthy subject for photography. Moreover, these flowers symbolize spring and look great in bright sunlight. In this article you will get acquainted with techniques that allow you to get bright and rich multi-colored pictures .

Photography techniques:

1. Take tulips on a fine day - this will help to better convey the brightness of the shades.

2. Against a particular flower background, a flowerbed of tulips can look completely different.

3. Choose plans that will allow you to take full advantage of the wide-angle capabilities.

4. Lens effect of compression and blur, which only a telephoto lens will provide.

5. To photograph inflorescences with a macro lens, also use a wide-angle lens.

6. Try a new look at the composition using water splashes and repeated strokes.

exposition will be needed:

Use a wide-angle telephoto lens, a prime lens, or a micro lens, depending on the effect you're trying to achieve.

Tripod and shutter release

A cable attachment will be required to avoid blurring of the image effect caused by hand shaking.

A polarizing filter will not only help to convey a natural shade using light reflected from the petals of the surface and leaves, but will also create the necessary contrast.

information A little about tulips

The world championship in the production tulips belongs to Holland. Did you know that once beautiful flowers almost undermined the country’s economy? This is the so-called “tulip era .”

Tulips are grown in areas from Central Asia to the Mediterranean. Brought to Europe from Turkey in the 16th century, they instantly gained wild popularity. Especially tulip mania “strongly” captured Holland. Exotic tulip bulbs sold for incredible prices, and from 1634 even tulips became the subject of cruel speculation - one bulb could be exchanged for a large brewery or estate. Some instantly became rich, others went bankrupt, and the country's economy was on the verge of a serious crisis. The situation was normalized only after the government introduced a ban on the speculative sale of tulips . It’s hard to believe that the fragile flowers almost undermined the entire economy of the state, but, probably, such is their magical power.

1. It’s better to photograph tulips when it’s fine - the day will help to better convey the brightness. The main thing.

The shades that attract photographers in tulips are their pure, certainly rich shades of red, yellow, white, pink, and orange. Can you capture these colors in all their glory when shooting? This is very important. Much depends on the weather here. It is believed that it is better to photograph flowers on a cloudy day with soft lighting, but for shooting , clear conditions are undoubtedly more suitable.

The weather is that on a fine day the light is reflected from the petals and leaves, thereby creating three-dimensionality. The use of a polarizing filter will allow the filter to most fully convey the shade of emerald green and the inflorescences of the green leaves. By capturing a clear piece of sky in the frame and creating the necessary contrast using the same polarizing filter, you can further emphasize the brightness of the flower. However, it is worth considering that when shooting backlit, a polarizing filter is practically ineffective.

Choose the light - side, front or backlight - in accordance with your own desired effect and intention. When shooting with backlight, and if the background is also the surface of the water, and a large part of the frame is occupied by light tulips (yellow, for example, or white), it makes sense to make a slight adjustment to the plus.

Another important point that is worth paying attention to is the shape of the flower. Tulips with fully open fallen or fallen petals do not look aesthetically pleasing, so you should choose the time for shooting when the inflorescences are most beautiful - from the beginning of flowering to the moment immediately after it.

2. Against a particular flower background, a flower bed can look completely like Photography.

In different ways, a flower bed in a park or a field with tulips can look completely different, depending on what part of the frame is allocated to the other.

The background photograph, B, depicting a huge field also gives an idea of the landscape - in the background we see a few houses. However, unlike here A, it is more obvious that the tulips are the main subject of the image, and the feeling of space and fresh spring air is emphasized.

Pictures where only , without any background at all, also look beautiful, but in this case it is difficult to imagine the size If. plantings to place people in the frame, this will better convey a sense of scale.

3. Choose plans that will allow you to take full advantage of your wide-angle lens.

If you are shooting a large image, then in addition to using a fisheye lens, you need to pay attention to the composition.

Using a macro lens allows you to take a photograph of a single image. On flower I, the stamens are taken in close-up. In principle, it was possible to place them in the center of the frame, however, this would have given it a certain monotony, the photographer therefore freed the right side of the frame in the direction of the growth of the stamens, as if somewhat expanding the Light.

it does not penetrate well into the flower, so when shooting like this you should add a slight adjustment to the light, or quickly use a flash or reflector board. here The frame given as an example should also have been made somewhat lighter - then the image of the stamens would have been clearer. By the way, despite the fact that a reflex board can be easily bought in a regular store, it can be made at home in a store. To do this, roll up aluminum foil, then straighten it and stick a piece of it on cardboard - the reflective board is ready

How to force tulips at home

Delicate tulips are in demand all year round. In winter and autumn, their value increases, which makes the sale more profitable. Even in the last century, only large gardeners could afford to grow bulbous flowers. Today anyone can start growing tulips. At home, a special technique is followed - forcing.

Forcing creates the necessary conditions for the rapid growth of flowers and the formation of large buds. We will discuss further what nuances need to be taken into account when forcing tulips at home.

Plant preparation

Forcing tulips at home consists of several successive stages:

Cut the buds off the stems when pollen appears inside. Thanks to this clever trick, the plantings will be able to form a fleshy and large bulb. Gorgeous tulips grow from large planting material.
In late June or early July, carefully dig up the tulips from the garden bed, dry them properly and place them in a cool, dark room. Damaged bulbs are not suitable for forcing. They are thrown away.
When sorting out the planting material, free each bulb from the old skin. This is the only way you can understand whether the tulip is sick. Another advantage is that bypassing the skin, the bulb receives a larger volume of liquid and nutritional components necessary for the intensive growth of a healthy plant.

How to store tulip bulbs

In order for planting material to delight with seedlings, you need to know how to store it correctly. Follow these rules:

Monitor the temperature in the room where the bulbs are located. The ideal temperature is set between plus 18 and 20 degrees. Humidity should reach 70-75%. This is a fairly high parameter for apartments with central heating. Therefore, an air humidifier is a must-have device that you will have to use. If these factors are overlooked, the buds will take a long time to form. The flowers will turn out small and unsightly.
When forcing tulips at home, planting material is usually stored in containers made of plastic. They must have special holes through which air can pass freely.
To avoid the accumulation of excess moisture, it does not hurt to sprinkle the bulbs with dry sawdust.

Step-by-step instructions for planting tulips

Forcing tulips at home also includes planting flowers. First, the bulbs are prepared:

Dilute a small amount of manganese in water.
Soak the selected planting material in the prepared solution for half an hour.
You can replace potassium permanganate with a decoction of celandine. Flower growers also heat the water to 40 degrees. These 2 methods help disinfect the bulbs.

Plant forcing is carried out at home. Therefore, you can plant them whenever you want. Focus on the time when you need to harvest. For example, if you plan to cut the buds for the New Year, planting is carried out in November.

Prepare shallow containers and do the following:

Place soil on the bottom of the container, preferably without impurities and fertilizers. The soil should occupy 10 cm from the bottom.
Bury the bulb into the ground by 3 cm. The distance that needs to be maintained between the tulips is 2 cm. Cover the top of the bulb with soil and pour plenty of water. The soil should not dry out, otherwise forcing will not work. The sprouts will not sprout.
Sprinkle a layer of sand.
Place the boxes in a room where the temperature is close to plus 9 degrees. Moisten the soil periodically.

When the sprouts rise 5-10 cm above the ground, bring the containers into a room with a higher air temperature. If the tulips put out buds earlier than planned, tear them out of the ground along with the root and place them in paper. Take the flowers to the cellar, where the temperature has stopped within -1...+2 degrees. On the day when it was planned to form a bouquet, the buds are cut and placed in ice water for 12 hours.

What to do with tulips after cutting

After cutting the flowers, water the soil and remaining bulbs twice. All this time the soil should be moist. The leaves cannot be allowed to completely wilt. Then do the following:

Planting material is dug up and dried for 3-4 days.
Inspect for damage.
They are taken to the room where the bulbs will be stored until planted in the soil. They are suitable for another distillation.

Common mistakes during the forcing process

Mistakes that should not be made when forcing tulips at home:

When choosing flowers, pay attention not only to the luxurious appearance of the buds, but also to the flowering period, resistance to pests and diseases.
Some people store the bulbs in refrigeration. Of course, this can also be done. But do not place planting material next to fresh fruit. The latter emit ethylene, which is harmful to tulips.
Many people know that tulips love the sun's rays. Therefore, when forcing, they strive to place containers with sprouts closer to the window. This mistake leads to abundant green growth. Unfortunately, very few buds are formed in green spaces.

The following video instruction clearly shows the process of forcing tulips:

13 most frequently asked questions about tulips - everything you wanted to know

Adding an article to a new collection

Beginners who decide to grow tulips for the first time usually have the same questions. We have collected the most popular of them and prepared detailed answers.

In order for tulips to develop properly and bloom well, you need to know about some important features. Our answers to questions will help you create a lush flower garden.

1. Why don't tulips bloom?

The most common reasons:

Poor quality planting material. You should not expect lush flowering from damaged or too small bulbs. In addition, they often deteriorate already in the ground: they rot in waterlogged soil or become prey for mice.
Deficiency of sunlight . Do not plant tulips in the shade of trees: without sun they not only refuse to bloom, but also grow slowly.
Cold and gusty wind. Tulips prefer sheltered areas.
Failure to comply with the deadlines for digging up bulbs and planting them in the ground. Because of this, the tulip’s development cycle is disrupted. For example, if you plant a bulb too early, it will sprout in the fall (during warm weather) and freeze in the winter.
Inappropriate planting depth. If the bulb is planted shallowly, the sprout will emerge from the ground too early and freeze, and if it is planted too deep, the plant will waste all its strength on the long and thorny path to the light. The optimal planting depth is three times the height of the bulb.
Wrong cut. You need to leave at least two leaves on the plant, otherwise the tulip will not bloom next year.

2. Why do tulips have short stems?

There are low-growing varieties of tulips that are used in borders. For such plants, a short stem is the norm. And if standard tulips do not reach the required height, then most likely they lack nitrogen, lighting and water. Also, a stem that is too short may indicate that the bulb was not cooled to the required temperature before planting.

3. What causes stripes to appear on tulip flowers?

If tulips of a single-color variety suddenly become variegated, then most likely the plant was attacked by a dangerous variegation virus, which changes the varietal characteristics. If such variegated flowers are found, the plant should be dug up and destroyed as soon as possible before the virus infects the remaining tulips.

Variegation is the most common and dangerous disease of tulips

There is no cure for this disease, so it is important to pay attention to prevention. The variegation virus is transmitted from plant to plant through sap; most often the carriers are leaf-eating insects, so they need to be gotten rid of in a timely manner.

4. What to do with tulips when they bloom?

When the flowers wither, the stem must be broken off so that two leaves remain on the plant. This is a necessary condition for successful ripening of the bulb.

If the tulips were not fed during flowering, phosphorus and potassium should be added to the soil in equal proportions at the rate of 30-35 g of fertilizer per sq.m. Also, mineral fertilizers containing manganese, zinc and boron will not be superfluous.

For two weeks after flowering, tulips should continue to be watered regularly. In this case, the amount of water should be gradually reduced.

5. How to cut tulips correctly?

If you want to decorate your house with tulips, you need to carefully break the stem (do not cut it!) so that at least two lower leaves remain on the plant. With their help, the plant will be able to regain its strength. Remember: if you cut tulips at the root, next year you will be left without a flowering flower bed.

6. What can I do to make tulips last longer in a vase?

It is best to break tulips at the bud stage. In a vase with water, their stems can grow up to 20 cm, and the flowers can significantly increase in size and fully bloom.

To keep flowers in a vase for 7 to 14 days, pour a little water into it (at a level of 10 cm) and change it daily.

If there is too much liquid in the container, the tulip stems may rot.

7. When to dig up tulips?

In regions with a warm climate, tulips are dug up at the beginning of June, and in colder and more unstable climates - at the end of the first summer month. But it is best to focus on the appearance of the plant. The bulbs need to be dug up when the tulip leaves turn yellow and the stem becomes soft (it will not break, but bend).

It is better to dig up the bulbs in sunny weather, when the soil is quite dry. If you do this in wet weather, before drying the bulbs you need to treat them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

8. When should you plant tulips?

In the middle zone, tulips are planted in late September - early October. Accordingly, in more southern regions this is done a little later, and in more northern regions - a little earlier.

9. How to protect tulips from rodents?

Mice love to eat tulip bulbs. To protect plants, use proven methods :

surround the tulip plantings with poisonous bulbs (daffodils, hazel grouse), which mice do not like;
plant blackroot (cynoglossum). This annual plant will not only repel mice, but will also perfectly decorate the flower garden with its unusual purple-red flowers;
before planting, treat the bulbs with kerosene or Vishnevsky ointment;
Spray the flower bed periodically with infusion of valerian root.

If these methods don't work, limit mice's access to the bulbs by planting tulips in baskets or containers with shallow holes.

10. What to do if tulips sprouted in winter?

If winter is already coming to an end, and the stored bulbs have sprouted just a little, you can try to wait until the ground warms up and plant them in the ground. But it is best to prepare small pots for them, pour expanded clay into them (2-3 cm layer), then soil for flowers and plant the bulbs.

If the stored bulbs sprouted ahead of time, do not be discouraged. Forcing is a great way to grow your flowers for the March 8 holiday

If in winter, during warming, tulips that were planted in the ground in the fall sprouted, you need to sprinkle them with earth and cover them with spruce branches or dry leaves on top. This will protect the sprouts from freezing and stop their growth.

11. Why do varietal tulips change color after a year or two?

The color of tulip flowers depends on the variety and condition of the bulb. If after a couple of years a red flower appears from a bulb of, for example, an orange-colored tulip, it means, as in the case of variegation, the plant is sick. It's all due to a virus that blocks acquired varietal characteristics and leaves only those that were present in wild tulips. As a rule, the color of flowers in wild plants is red or yellow.

12. How many years can tulips grow in one place?

To keep the bulb healthy and strong, it is best to dig it up every year. But if you do not have such an opportunity, it is permissible to grow tulips in one place for 3-4 years (simple varieties with a classic shape and color of flowers can be in the same place for up to 7 years). But for this you need to comply with some conditions: properly care for the plants (water them on time and systematically feed them) and be sure to provide them with a sufficient amount of light.

13. How to buy good tulip bulbs?

It is best to buy bulbs the first time. Typically their size is 3.5-5 cm in diameter and 10-14 cm in circumference. These bulbs are quite strong and bloom in the first year.

In addition, when purchasing, you should follow several rules:

Purchase planting material only in specialized stores and before the start of the planting season (ideally from late July to August), before the bulbs are damaged during transportation or moving from place to place.
The entire bulb should be densely covered with thin golden brown scales. Rough, dark-colored scales indicate that the bulb was overexposed to soil.
There should be no mechanical damage, mold spots or dried pulp on the surface of the bulb. If the bottom is soft, with traces of rot, or the roots have begun to grow, such an onion should not be taken.
If the onion seems too light for its size, it is rotten. Also set it aside.

We hope in this article you found answers to your questions. If any difficulties in growing tulips remain unexplained, you can discuss them on our forum.

Secrets of growing tulips - beauty and decorativeness are not lost!

This is a story not so much about the beauty of tulips, but about how to preserve and even increase it. This may, of course, not be a very big secret, but the technology is proven.

In the last couple of years I have had very few tulips, only a few varieties, and I deal with them with great love.

Beginning of flowering

My tulips bloom and bloom at different times, so I offer an additional photo of the “lagging behind”.

Late bloomers

It is known that Dutch varietal tulips, which we in most cases grow in our flower beds, tend to lose their attractiveness if they are not dug up after flowering.

To make this process easier, I always plant tulips in special bulb baskets of different sizes depending on the number and diameter of the bulbs of a particular variety.

And by the way, these baskets are excellent protection against mice, if any.

Baskets for bulbs

I prepare a planting hole the size of the basket and to the depth of three bulbs, place the basket, press it to the ground and sprinkle it with earth so as to fill any possible voids between the bottom of the hole and the basket and create comfortable conditions for the germination of the bulbs.

Ready to take the bulbs

I arrange the bulbs quite tightly, somewhere at a distance slightly larger than the diameter of the bulbs themselves - so that dense curtains form in the spring. Unfortunately, at the moment there are no “free” bulbs, so it is not possible to demonstrate clearly. But I think it will be clear this way.

I fill the baskets with soil, tamp them down a little, water them and that’s it, let the bulbs take root and gain strength until spring.

The distance between the baskets themselves can be estimated from this photograph - holes after already dug baskets with faded tulips.

This is how the baskets were arranged

I plant tulips, as they say, depending on the weather. For our region (Moscow region), the end of September is considered optimal, but again, it depends on what kind of September it is - recently it has been the first ten days of October.

The bulbs do not have to sprout, but they do need to take root and get stronger. It is best to plant at a temperature of +5. +10ºC and before frost starts, so it is important to look at the long-term weather forecast (sometimes it “comes true”).

I don't hide anything.
Winter has passed, spring has come - tulip “spouts” appeared from the ground, immeasurable joy! Soon they will bloom and be a delight to the eye.

But their life is fleeting, and now the time has come to take care of the future fate of our onions, so that they will please us next year.

The tulips have faded, but the foliage remains - it’s time to dig up the baskets, which was done today.

They have bloomed.

I dug it up today - it’s time to plant annuals in their place

It’s very easy to dig - I felt the edges of the basket and pryed it with a “sapper” shovel.

Digging process

I remove some of the soil from above (the baskets were dug below the level of the flower bed), remove the weeds and take it behind the house, where it is mostly shade. But anyway, if there is no rain, I don’t forget about them and water them from time to time.

As soon as the foliage has withered and freely separates, I select the bulbs, sort them - discard substandard ones (rotten, damaged), separate the children, and plant some in the tulip “kindergarten”.

What remains is healthy planting material - last year, after flowering, I got a lot of new large bulbs; one variety (yellow 'Blushing Apeldoorn') ended up with twice as many bulbs. In the joyful sense of the word, I had to allocate not one, but two large baskets for planting in the fall. This can be seen in the first photo. And the rest did not disappoint, they all multiplied and bloomed beautifully.

I dry the selected bulbs a little in the sun, shake them off the ground and place them on paper by variety in small planting baskets and containers. I put it under the cabinet and cover it with paper (or newspaper) on top.

Goodbye, tulips, I will cherish your bulbs until autumn.
But don’t be offended by me - I’m going to buy you new neighbors in August. It will be more fun! Although you are not bored anyway.

Flowerbed neighbors

And finally, a little lilac tenderness.

Unusual color.