Tulipa fosteriana Orange Emperor

Tulipa 'Orange Emperor' is a lively variety that will brighten up flower beds and borders. The large, flared cups of this heirloom tulip are light orange washed with bright orange. Robust, weather-resistant, and low-maintenance, it closely resembles the botanical species and, as such, will faithfully bloom in the garden from mid-March for several years. It is also a stunning cut flower for bouquets.

Tulipa fosteriana is a very hardy botanical species native to Turkestan. They are reliable performers: they are among the first garden tulips to bloom, sometimes as early as March 15th, and they naturalise easily, so there is no need to replace them regularly. This bulbous plant produces strong but flexible stems, 35 to 40cm (14 to 16in) tall when in flower, with a large cup-shaped corolla at their tip, which opens and flares in the sun to reveal its rich orange hues. The flower is light orange to yellow washed with green at the base, then becomes increasingly vibrant orange towards the tips of the petals. The deciduous foliage is light green and vibrant.

These tulips are suitable for all uses, in flower beds, borders, and bouquets. Their sparkling yet elegant colours pair well with blue hyacinths, grape hyacinths, or white tulips. They are unmatched for bringing the colours of spring to pots or sunny gardens. When designing your flower beds, you must consider the height and flowering period of the tulips, as these parameters can vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is wise to plant a few extra bulbs for cutting, as they make beautiful long-lasting cut flowers.

About botanical species: tulip species are found throughout most of the Old World, from Western Europe to China and Japan, including Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Their distribution range also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity for the genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan.

There are various wild species, many of which are endangered. These include large adventive tulips from cultivated fields, the most well-known being the Agen tulip (Tulipa agenensis), as well as small tulips found in wooded areas or among rocks in the mountains. In cultivation, they are called "botanical tulips", and one of the most common is the wild tulip (T. sylvestris), which used to often grow sheltered by vines and whose subspecies, australis, is known as the southern tulip.