Fosteriana Tulips - Emperor Tulips

Flowering from mid March to April, Fosteriana Tulips are not short of companions. April-flowering tulips include Greigii Tulips, Kaufmanniana Tulips, Single Early Tulips (March and some of April), some Species tulips, Double Early Tulips, Triumph Tulips, Darwin Tulips and Single Late Tulips.

Or for something a little different, try Erythroniums - Fawn Lilies or Ornamental Alliums, which look great with tulips. April-flowering varieties include Allium aflatunense, Allium nigrum, Allium Pinball Wizard and Allium triquetrum.

Try Single Late Tulips, Double Late Tulips, Parrot Tulips, Lily Tulips, Viridiflora Tulips, Darwin Tulips, Fringed Tulips, daylilies and Aquilegias.

If you're looking for a clean white tulip, then this is the one. Cream buds open out into pure white flowers. It looks fantastic en masse or in pots. Height is 45cm (18") - quite tall for a fosteriana tulip.

Tulipa 'Purissima' used to known as Tulipa 'White Emperor'.

Exquisite primrose yellow petals fade to feathery white at their edges and over time. Tulip 'Sweetheart' is a great foil for dark tulips, such as the black tulips.

Flowers appear in April and height is 16" (40cm).

Windproof stems, huge flowers, a unique color scheme and reliability have earned Tulipa 'Orange Emperor' the RHS's Award of Garden Merit.

Flowers have outer tangerine petals, inner petals of darker orange and a yellow inside. Height is 16" (40cm); foliage is bright green and flowers are 10" (25cm) across when open.

Two white tulips come to mind: the rare Tulipa 'White Sea' and Tulip 'White Emperor' (above). But, the new Tulip 'Exotic Emperor' is better than both, with fluffy, white, semi-double tulip with a yelow, black and green streaked base.

Others mix and match tulips which feature white include Tulipa 'Art Deco' (white/cream base, reddish tips), Tulipa 'Concerto', Tulipa Sweetheart' and Tulipa Purissima (white and yellow), Tulipa 'Dance' and Tulipa 'Flaming Purissima' (pink and white), Tulipa 'Rosy Dream' and Tulipa 'Zombie' (red and cream).

These include Tulipa 'Cantata', Tulipa 'Holland National', Tulipa Job's Memory', Tulipa 'Madame Lefeber', Tulipa 'Polo', Tulipa 'Princeps', Tulipa 'Robassa', Tulipa 'Soroptimist'. Try planting them with up with other early red tulips, from the Kaufmanniana and Greigii Groups.

Tulipa 'Candela', Tulipa 'Easter Moon', Tulipa 'Golden Emperor', Tulipa 'Golden Galata', Tulipa 'Golden Purissima', Tulipa 'Summit', Tulipa 'Yellow Empress', Tulipa 'Yellow Purissima'.

Tulipa 'Analita' has dark red outer petals edged with white, pink inner petals and shimmery ivory centers.

Tulipa 'Juan' has orange tips fading to yellow at the base.

Tulipa 'Grand Coulée' has shimmering red and pink flowers.

Tulipa 'Zwanendrift' is yellow and orange/brown.