The open basketweave design of the container allows it to hold only a low level of water at the base, making the green stems stand out. The top is broad -- about 16 inches in diameter -- so when Jordan puts the thick mass of stems in the vase, the flowers tumble all over one another.

Learn to let go for effortless tulip arrangements. "You just have to let them do what they want," says Jordan. "They drink a lot and will grow two inches even after you have cut their stems.

Tulips rarely stay where you place them -- they'll follow the sun. Just let them do their thing, and they'll make you gasp." He says all this while brusquely turning out the petals on a mass of apricot-colored French tulips. "They're not typically what I call a 'face' flower," he says. So they take on an entirely different, equally beautiful look when they are forced to put their faces forward.