Like lilies, the bulbs are made up of fleshy scales and don’t like to dry out. If you are unable to plant straight away, keep just moist until you can plant them.
- Botanical Name
- Fritillaria imperiallis
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Plant Type
- Bulb
- Size (HxW)
- 60-100cm x 15-25cm
- Depth & Spacing
- Plant three to four times the height of the bulb deep, around 15-20cm, on its side. Add some sand/gravel at the top and bottom of the bulb within the hole to improve drainage.
- Soil
- They favour a humus rich to sandy, sharply draining soil. If your soil is heavy, try growing in a pot or raised bed.
- Aspect
- Full sun to light shade. Morning sun preferred.
- Climate
- Cool to Mediterranean
- Frost
- Hardy
- Water
- Water in well, then allow to dry out before watering again. Keep moisture up during active growth and allow to dry out in dormancy. This may be more easily satisfied in a pot with our current climatic conditions, depending where you live. They don’t want to be left to sit in moisture.
- Fertiliser
- Blood and bone with some garden lime at planting and annually atop the soil. While growing add liquid fertiliser when they first emerge and when they begin to bloom.
- Flowering Time
- Mid to late spring
- After Flower Care
- Allow the foliage to die back naturally and feed the bulb for future years. Remove the seed heads so the plant focuses on bulb growth.
- Notes
- Keep protected from slugs and snails. The bulbs have a similar odour to the flower. If you wanted to collect seed, you are best to do it by pollinating from two different plants.
