24 November 2009
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Fritillaria

Fritillaries include tiny, exquisite, chequered flowers for wildflower gardens, and astonishing, eye-catching F. imperialis with beanpole stems topped by showy, bell-like flowers. Although the latter can be tricky to grow, they're well worthwhile.

Recommended varieties

The ideal growing conditions can vary dramatically, from damp meadows to sunny, free-draining rock gardens.

Hot borders: the most dramatic fritillaries are best grown in large tubs or barrels, where they can be positioned to catch the eye. They can also be grown in borders, and the smaller ones in rock gardens. All need plenty of sun and excellent drainage.

F. imperialis: this is the real stunner. It grows up to 1.5m (5ft) and has about six red or orange downward-pointing flowers at the top of the stem, just below a tuft of upward, pointy leaves. But the plant has an unpleasant smell. 'Aureomarginata' has yellow-edged leaves, 'Maxima Lutea' yellow flowers, while 'Prolifera' produces two rows of bells. 'Maxima Lutea' has been given the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
F. persica: a lesser-known, 1m (3ft)-high fritillary that has flowers of such a dark shade of purple their almost black. The taller, more floriferous F. persica 'Adiyaman' has brownish-purple flowers and fresh green leaves. 'Adiyaman' has been given the AGM.
F. thunbergii and F. pallidiflora: the creamy-coloured F. thunbergii thrives in a bright border next to the complementary, elegant yellow bells of F. pallidiflora, which are tinged with grey-green. The RHS has given F. pallidiflora its AGM.
F. acmopetala: also happy in a border, it has pixie-like flowers in green and plum that are carried singly on stems up to 40cm (16in) tall. It's also been given the AGM.

Meadows: the following need cool, moist, free-draining ground, and are usually found growing with cowslips and primroses.

F. meleagris: the snake's head fritillary is native to most of Europe, including Britain. It grows to a maximum 30cm (12in) tall. The lantern-like flowers hang down and are usually chequered purple and pink, forcing you down on your knees to get a closer look. They can be so unobtrusive that people walk straight past, but few miss the white variety (var. unicolor subvar. alba). The RHS has given subvar. alba its AGM.
F. camschatcensis: also liking dappled shade and damp ground, it produces clusters of plum-coloured bells at ankle height.
F. cirrhosa: with nodding green bells tessellated with purple, it's only sold by a few specialist nurseries.

Cold greenhouses and bulb frames: some fritillaries need excellent rain shelter and are best grown in cold greenhouses or special frames.

F. graeca: a delicate species about 20cm (8in) tall, producing wonderful deep-green flowers chequered with a maroon pattern and green stripes.
F. michailovskyi: an early summer show of deep brownish-purple flowers with yellow tips and a green tinge on the outside. It's just 15cm (6in) high. This plant has been given the AGM.
F. pontica: a spring show of dangling, pale-green flowers with a dash of maroon right at the base.

Growing tips

Site and soil preferences: The border and rock garden types like fertile, free-draining soil and relentless sun. F. imperialis is tricky to grow, though, and can be reluctant to flower because the bulb has a hollow centre which holds water. This can result in rotting when the soil is cold and wet. The best solution is to plant the bulbs on their sides, or stand them the right way up after adding plenty of sharp sand to the surrounding soil, while packing the bulb itself in just sharp sand. If you still don't get any flowers, try feeding the plant with dilute liquid tomato food at weekly intervals in spring. And if that doesn't work, move the bulb, when dormant, to another spot.

Planting depth: Plant the bulbs of F. persica 'Adiyaman' to four times the depth of the bulb and it will flower reliably every year.

Naturalising: The hardy meadow-loving fritillaries - for example, F. meleagris - like being naturalised in an open grassy area, perhaps with light shade and soil that's damp but not boggy. The forms that require special growing conditions tend to be from parts of the world where it's dry during the bulbs' dormant season. You can grow these undercover in a temporary cold frame or cloche in well-drained compost with added sharp sand.

A good shower in September and October with a watering can encourages root growth. The plants can then be left dry until spring. Water again when the leaves appear. Occasional liquid feeds of tomato food can be applied until the bulbs become dormant again in early summer, when the faded foliage can be cleared away.