After freezing weather the tulip flowers are all bowed down, and their stems are curved so the blooms are near the ground. Will they straighten out, and what is happening inside the stems to make them bend over? Horticultural expert Dr. Mary Meyer explains:
The cold temperatures did some damage to the cells on the tulip stems. These cells lost some of the water within the cells because the cold probably damaged the cell membranes allowing water to escape, and the stems lost some of their turgor or rigidity. As the temperatures get warmer, the cell membranes could function normally again, and the cells became rigid and strong.
M Hosier
