Spring has sprung and the flower buckets in the supermarkets are brimming with inexpensive bunches of fresh-cut blooms. Bright, cheery and low-maintenance, a posy of tulips is just the ticket to brighten up a hallway or coffee table after such a grey winter.
Tulips have been synonymous with the Netherlands since it became the centre for tulip-growing in the early 17th century. But British-farmed blooms are becoming the norm in local shops; six of the nine bouquets I tested came proudly bearing a Union Jack in a display of provenance. The tulip belongs to the lily family and there are dozens of varieties available. The type you’ll encounter at the supermarket tend to be Rambo or Triumph.
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How I tested
On a single morning, I did a sweep of my local supermarkets to pick up the cheapest posies of tulips on offer. This ranged from an average-sized Sainsbury’s and a small Tesco Express, to M&S Food located within a petrol station and a standard Waitrose.
Once home, I cut the ends by a few centimetres, removed excess, low-growing leaves, and placed each bunch in its own vase of fresh water. Each vase was then labelled for monitoring. I placed the flowers together on a table in a corner of my living room which doesn’t receive direct sunlight. I monitored the tulips over six days, recording signs of wilting, droopiness and yellowing leaves. The photographs below compare the tulips on day one and day six.
The tulips test
Asda
★☆☆☆☆
£2.75 for seven stems; UK grown
The cheapest of the bunch offered the least in terms of value. Although the pretty purple heads appeared full and vibrant on day one, the bouquet felt less substantial than the rest in terms of height and scale (it had just seven stems). By day four, a petal started drooping and the tip of one of the leaves had turned crispy.
Lidl
★★☆☆☆
£2.79 for eight stems; Provenance unknown
I had high hopes for this bunch from the budget retailer, but from day one, the buds looked tightly closed and not as full compared to the rest. There was also a rogue pale pink head in the mix. By day four, some of the stems had started to splay and the petals were showing signs of drooping.
Co-op
★★★☆☆
£3.75 for seven stems; UK grown
The heads in this bunch looked less substantial and more beige compared to the white tulips I picked up in Waitrose. But despite my initial reservations, they performed well. On day six the stems were still poker-straight, with the leaves only starting to show slight signs of curling and fading.
Waitrose
★★★☆☆
£4.25 for seven stems; UK grown
The stems supporting the crisp white heads of this posy appeared slightly droopier from day one, with the stems splaying more easily. But the generously-sized heads in pure white looked pretty throughout, and along with the leaves, didn’t show any signs of yellowing.
Marks & Spencer
★★★☆☆
£6.50 for 14 stems; UK grown
These instantly felt good quality and ideal for gifting thanks to opaque packaging and 14 stems (offering good value for money compared to Waitrose, which charges £4.25 for half the quantity). The mix of red, yellow and purple heads set them apart from the rest, but they didn’t exceed their five-day freshness guarantee; by day six, several petals showed signs of ageing.
Tesco
★★★☆☆
£4 for eight stems; Provenance unknown
Another set good enough to take round to a host due to the slightly more premium wrapping, this bunch from Tesco also came at a slightly more premium price. The decent-sized Rambo buds were teasing to open from day one, eventually blooming to show off their dual colourway. By day six the stems were starting to splay, with some petals looking past their best.
Sainsbury’s
★★★★☆
£3.50 for eight stems; UK grown
Robust-looking from the moment I picked them up, the tulip heads of this bunch started to open the next day. White with pale pink edges, the colour fade was minimal as time went by. By day six, only one leaf had started to crisp.
Morrisons
★★★★☆
£3.50 for eight stems; Provenance unknown
Vivid-looking and beginning to open on day one, this posy of bi-colour Rambo tulips showed promising signs of being of good quality. Guaranteeing five days of freshness but with no indication of provenance, they were still going strong by day six, with rod-straight stems and healthy-looking leaves.
Aldi
★★★★★
£2.79 for eight stems; UK grown
Offering colour from day one, with generously sized heads that were teetering on opening, this bouquet exceeded its five-day freshness guarantee. They stood solid and tall, and it wasn’t until day six that their colour started to fade and a stem started to wilt. As one of the most competitively priced, this bunch offered excellent value for money.
How to make tulips last longer
As with all cut flowers, begin by removing any lower leaves that will sit below the water line – usually one to two a stem – to help prevent bacterial growth in the water.
Cut stems by a couple of centimetres on an angle using a sharp knife or secateurs; this helps with the amount of water each stem can absorb.
Place in cold, shallow water and position away from direct sunlight and any central heating sources. Change the water every other day.
Piercing through the upper part of the stem (just below the bud) with a pin allows trapped air to escape, while placing a copper coin in the base of a vase will help prevent drooping.
Emily Baylis, the founder and creative director of London-based floral art studio June in March, appreciates the graceful way tulip stems bend in response to light. “To help manage this natural movement, place them in a tall, supportive vase and rotate the vase daily,” she says. Wrapping them in newspaper and standing them in a vase of water overnight can also force them to stand tall.