Tulips delivered in Paris: groups, Dutch breeding, and French elite stems
The tulip is the most spring-like flower in floristry and the second most requested after the rose during the Paris winter and spring season. A clean goblet shape, the recognisable cool elegance, thousands of varieties from 400 years of breeding — this flower works equally well as a Saint-Valentin gift, a wedding arch at Trocadéro, or an office bouquet at La Défense.
This category covers single-variety bouquets, kraft-wrapped bunches, hat-box compositions, and pairings with eucalyptus, hyacinths, and ranunculus. Supply comes direct from Dutch greenhouses via Aalsmeer and from French growers in Provence — the "French Tulips" line with long stems up to 70 cm.
Groups and varieties in stock
More than 3,000 tulip varieties are registered worldwide. We stock 30–40 of the key ones, sorted into several groups by bud shape, stem length, and flowering window.
- Triumph — classic cupped bud, stem 40–50 cm. The mass-market group. Varieties: Strong Gold (yellow), Negrita (purple), Ile de France (red).
- Darwin Hybrids — large-headed, up to 12 cm across. Apeldoorn (scarlet), Ivory Floradale (cream). For substantial bouquets.
- French Tulips — elite long-stem tulips up to 70 cm from Provence. Maureen (white), Menton (soft pink). The headline pick for weddings at George V and Le Bristol.
- Parrot — feathered "torn" petals. Rococo (red), Blue Parrot (purple). For dramatic compositions.
- Double / Peony — double "peony-style". Mount Tacoma (white), Foxtrot (pink). A winter alternative to peonies.
- Queen of Night — near-black purple, a legendary variety in its own right. For gothic and vintage palettes.
Season and main occasions
The natural tulip season is April–May. Dutch greenhouse forcing extends bloom from October to June, with peak supply around 14 February (Saint-Valentin), Fête des Mères, and Easter. These are the most requested tulips of the year, so for those dates we lock orders 3–4 days in advance.
In Paris tulips work through the entire winter and spring — October to May, when the moderate climate lets the bouquet sit at home without instant fade. In summer tulips are still available but need close water-temperature control.
The tulip trait: it keeps growing
A cut tulip remains a living plant — the stem keeps growing in the vase by 2–3 cm during the first 2–3 days. This is unique among cut flowers, and you need to account for it when building a composition.
As a result, tulips reshape the bouquet daily. By the end of the week they bend toward the light source — this is normal and beautiful, not a defect. To keep an even shape, place the bouquet in a tall narrow vase that holds the stems vertical.
"The tulip is the most honest flower on sale. It doesn't pretend to be fresh when it's actually tired. Pick up the stem — soft, warm? The bouquet is at the end of its run. A fresh tulip in hand is springy, cool, almost ringing to the touch."
— Victoria Malysheva, florist, 15 years in the trade
Freshness and handling
A fresh tulip is identified by several signs: firm stem, tightly closed coloured bud, leaves without yellow patches, no wilted edges. We keep only tulips cut within the last 4 days — this guarantees the Paris recipient a full 5–7 day bloom cycle.
Tulips ship in cold hydroboxes. Stems stay in water at +6…+8 °C until delivery, the bud holds its density. On the route from Aalsmeer to France via CDG Cargo the cold chain never breaks.
Delivery specifics in Paris
Paris has a temperate oceanic climate, ideal for tulips. Winters at +3…+8 °C, spring at +10…+18 °C with frequent rain, summer at +18…+28 °C. For tulips this delivers 6–8 days of vase life at room temperature nine months out of twelve — no need to move the bouquet into the fridge.
We cover all Paris districts: Marais (1–4 arrondissement), Saint-Germain (6e), Champs-Élysées (8e), Montmartre (18e), Bastille (11e), Trocadéro (16e), La Défense, Boulogne, Neuilly. Two-hour delivery windows. For Saint-Valentin (14 February), Fête des Mères (last Sunday of May), and Easter, place orders 3–4 days ahead. Prices in euros (€), payment by card or cash on receipt.
Care at home
Handling tulips is different from roses and peonies. The key rules: cold water only at +6…+10 °C, straight (not angled) cuts refreshed every 2 days, minimal water in the vase (5–7 cm from the bottom). Tulips don't tolerate deep water — the stems rot.
Don't place them next to daffodils or hyacinths — the sap from those flowers speeds tulip ageing by 30–40%. If you want such a mix, hold the daffodils separately for 24 hours, rinse the stems, then add to the main bouquet.
During summer Paris heat, move the bouquet to the coolest spot in the home overnight. This extends life by 2–3 days without any chemical additives — the same simple plant physics that the keepers of the Marché aux fleurs on Île de la Cité, opened in 1808, already understood.
