Tulipa fosteriana Yellow Purissima

Tulipa fosteriana 'Yellow Purisima' bears large, very elegant flowers with long and ample petals forming an elongated cup that opens in the sun, blending pale-yellow and canary-yellow. This vibrant and hardy variety is resistant to inclement weather. It is low-maintenance and will faithfully flower in the garden from the end of March for several years. It is also a superb cut flower for bouquets.

Tulipa fosteriana is a very hardy botanical species originating from Turkestan. Tulips derived from T. fosteriana belong to division 13 and are reliable performers: they are among the first tulips to flower, 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 measuring 35 to 40cm (14 to 16in) in height. They bear a large elongated cup-shaped corolla at their tip, which opens and expands in the sun to reveal its vibrant yellow shades. The flower is light-yellow to yellow washed with green at the base, then becomes increasingly vivid yellow towards the tip of the petals. The foliage is light and vibrant green. It is deciduous in summer. 

Tulips from the Fosteriana Group work well in flower beds and borders. The taller varieties are ideal for bouquets. Their sparkling yet elegant colours pair well with blue hyacinths, grape hyacinths, forget-me-nots, and with other tulips. 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 extra bulbs for bouquets, as they make gorgeous cut flowers that last a long time in a vase. 

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.