Fritillaria meleagris ^AM

Liliaceae

Fritillaria meleagris flower

Fritillaria meleagris

Fritillaria meleagris alba

Plants for those who like unusual, often subdued, colours and patterns. There is an almost endless variety of Fritillaria species, some of them widely available and others very difficult to come by. Many of them need a dry spell in summer, so they are best grown in gritty soil in pots, kept dry after the foliage dies down, until they are repotted in late summer and given a good watering - the September 'thunderstorm' treatment. Others are perfectly happy outside.

Fritillaria meleagris is the snake's head fritillary, a rare but much loved British native. It has solitary (occasionally paired), broadly bell-shaped, purple, pinkish-purple and white chequered flowers. It can easily be naturalised in grass, or allowed to form clumps in borders, or grown in a pot.
5 bulbs £3.50

		Fritillaria michailovskyi is a really striking fritillary, with several bell-shaped flowers, very dark purple with a bright yellow band at the outer end of each petal. It can be grown in a pot, or outside in a sunny, well-drained bed, perhaps a raised bed or a trough.
		Fritillaria ruthenica has great dark chocolate brown flowers. No problems growing it outside.
		Fritillaria sewerzowii is a beautiful, early-flowering species, with a loose spike of bell-shaped flowers, dark reddish outside, and creamy inside, with a dark blotch at the base of the petals.
		Fritillaria uva-vulpis is a tallish, slender fritillary, which produces loose heads of bell-shaped, pendant maroon flowers with pale greenish-yellow tips.