Monday, April 20, 2009

Snake's Head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris)

Here are some pictures of my Snake's Head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris), which are blooming in April in New Jersey (Zone 6b).
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I love these little flowers, but they have been finicky about their conditions. Many of the bulbs haven't survived for more than a year. I haven't figured out exactly why they are working in some moist places, but not others. The pictures are from two of my mixed borders.

10 comments:

Jared said...

So beautiful! I planted some bulbs two falls ago, but they didn't come up. I'm going to try again this fall. I hope you find the right spot (or maybe THEY'LL find the right spot?) for them.

Bren Haas said...

These are great! I am gonna have to special order one of these to give it a try up here in zone 5b.
Happy Gardening - stop by and see my Magnolia blooming today.

Unknown said...

that's an interesting plant, I would have to rename it though.

Dirt Princess said...

Those have to be one of the most amazing plants to me! What an amazing design!

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Frances said...

Your fritts are gorgeous. I have trouble with them also, and cannot figure out the problem. Two years ago 48 bulbs were planted in a nice moist spot. One flower the following spring. This year, two flowers and a few more leaves. Is it a waiting game? Or a bad location?
Frances

buedamau said...

this last outomn i was looking at the bulbs but unfortunatly i didn't buy any one, what a mistake it was couse the flower is just gorgeous!

pale green thumb said...

I started a bunch of frits from seed about 4 years ago. Only 6 sprouted, so I planted them and forgot about them. 2 years later about 4 of them came up -- a mix of purple and white. This year, I have 2 purple. So I'm trying again, although I'm not sure what the problem was. Not wet enough? Or maybe it's just that I don't live in a meadow in England...;)

Julia Erickson said...

Frances/Pale Green Thumb,

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with this problem. The one spot that seems to be working for me is at the base of a hill.

-Heirloom Gardener

Karen said...

I just put pictures of a flower that looks like this on my blog. My friend had it come up in her yard and she wondered what it was. It is blooming now in NE PA. They did not plant it!

Julia Erickson said...

Karen,

Wow! They must have the perfect conditions--what are they?

-Heirloom Gardener

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