Tulips are available to us here on the Gold Coast for much of the year, but generally speaking we don't recommend them unless the weather is cooler. We have such lovely balmy weather most months and tulips prefer the cool.
There are some things you can do to help your tulips along, they seem to appreciate ice in the water. They have a tendency to naturally lean a little, particularly when it's warmer, and ice can help them hold their heads up. Choosing a vase that will compliment their natural informality is also an option.
An interesting thing about tulips is that they don't stop growing when cut, in fact their stems can grow an inch over-night! They start as tiny tight buds and develop into full flowers. Come in many colours and shapes from double petaled ones to frilly ones. The tulip also has a remarkably colourful history for a flower, see the Dutch Tulip Mania during the 1600's, which is the basis for The Black Tulip, a novel by Alexandre Dumas in 1850.
