A Fascination of Fritillaries.

There are more more than 100 species of fritillary and they are all irresistible , unluckily many of them are wily to grow . There are some that I have tried and lose .

I growFritillaria michailovskyifresh every year in a potty because it is so pretty . I might risk planting it outside this year as I never seem to be able to keep it in the greenhouse . It comes from the mountainous regions of Turkey . I love its shiny , reddened bell - shaped flowers edged in bright yellow .

Fritillaria michailovskyi

Fritillaria michailovskyi

Fritillaria stenantheraneeds the protection of a greenhouse or cold physical body and even think I nurtured it in a pot , I still manage to pop it .

Fritillaria stenanthera

Another beauty which I fall behind isFritillaria pallidiflora , but to be mediocre this could be because I hold open dig it up as I moved planetary house four times in three twelvemonth and the poor thing probably got dizzy ; I ca n’t blame it , so did I.

Fritillaria michailovskyi

Fritillaria pallidiflora

Not only have I lose this next one but I can not commemorate its name , but I think it isFritillariaconica . The friend who gave it to me said it comes from Southern Greece so perhaps it get frostbite .

But fortunately , there are easy I too . I always thought that this next one was calledFritillaria verticillatabut I have discovered that this is a equivalent word and the right name isFritillaria thunbergii . Whatever its name , it is gorgeous and the clump receive bigger every class . With the long tendrils it looks like a climber and in the wilderness these tendrils are used to hold the plant steady where it grows in farseeing grass . The chime - like bloom are cream with green veining . I trust they are maturate in China and Japan as a remediation for coughs . I would rather put up with the cough and bask the flowers . It is wanton to attend after as it seems to thrive on disregard and resents a fertile diet .

Fritillaria stenanthera

Fritillaria thunbergii

Fritillaria persicais an impressive hatful as it mature so tall . It has beautiful drab majestic bell - shaped prime and it looks like a giant Grape Hyacinth . If you’re able to get the cultivar ‘ Adiyaman ’ you will get a more solid plant and more true flowering .

Fritillaria persica‘Adiyaman ’

Fritillaria pallidiflora

And what about the exotic Crown Imperials which are in every garden centre ? They smell of fox , but never beware , they are very beautiful .

I always think the retentive drop stamens face like little dance men with the anthers form the shoes .

If you look inside the flowers you could see touchy veining and the the nectories look just like eye .

Fritillaria acmopetalais a pretty affair with quite large flowers with slightly reflexed petals . They are strip green and reddish brown . It clumps up quite well .

Fritillaria acmopetala

The bizarrely namedFritillaria uva - vulpiswhich means ‘ fox - grape ’ comes from Iraq and Iran . I have read that it needs a live dry summertime and is better keep in a pot . It farm quite happily in my garden and the clump has have with child .

Fritillaria thunbergii

Fritillaria uva -vulpis

I would love to say that this endearing grouping of Fritillaria pyranacia is in my garden . But it is not . My Quaker ‘ M ’ who has the greenest fingers in Suffolk grew it from come . I shall be begging some seed so that I can essay it too . Fritillary seeds are comfortably inseminate when they are fresh and the seed should be cover with a stratum of grit . The downside is that they can take 5 to 6 years to bloom . But still they are deserving the wait .

Fritillaria pyrenaica

Fritillaria persica‘Adiyaman’

I will end with what many consider to be the fagot of the fritillary , our nativeFritillaria meleagris , the Snakes Head fritillary which is easy to find and seeds around if it is happy .

Fritillaria meleagris

The chequer board pattern is sometimes dark wine - coloured and sometimes pale pink .

And you could get a pure white one called ‘ Aphrodite ’ . On this one the two peak have mix to make one very large one .

Fritillaria meleagris‘Aphrodite ’

It is not certain that Fritillaria meleagris is a native but it has been flourishing here for hundred . It used to grow in copiousness on flood plains and meadows in the south of England . We are lucky that we have two fritillary meadows in Suffolk ; the Fox Fritillary Meadow in Framsden and Mickfield Meadows . They are both protected and look after by Suffolk Wildlife Trust .

Gerard call them ‘ Ginny - hen Floures’or ‘ Checquered Daffodils‘sic . He admired them just as much as we do and said they ‘ are greatly esteemed for the beautifying of our garden , and the bosoms of the beautifull’ . Oh I do n’t know about the second bit , my fritillaries are n’t going to find their way on to any bosoms .

54 Responses toA Fascination of Fritillaries.

I laughed at your gossip that you ’d rather abide a coughing than cut your valued flowers to concoct a curative but that is SO revelatory of a plant rabid ! I had no idea there was such diversity within the Fritillaria genus . Although you occasionally see tulips here ( grown as annuals ) , I ’ve never ever seen Fritillaries . I pull out my western garden guide and was surprised to notice that they do have a listing there but all , even one described as a California native ( F. biflora ) , grow well outside my climate zona . Coastal Northern California is more hospitable it seems .

Absolutely tremendous ! I also love fritillaries and have strain uva - vulpis ( always wondered what that meant ) , crown imperials and the snake head . In a mess in our garden we have F. persica , which I noticed last week had been all stripped of any foliage . Prime defendant , the molluscy ones . Lovely exposure and a dandy instruction . Thanks .

A Fascination of Fritillaries.