PlantFiles: Checkered Lily, Guinea-Hen Flower, Snake's Head Fritillary
Fritillaria meleagris

Here in Interior British Columbia (dry zone) these are much more reliable than the larger Crown Imperials, which tend to fade out after a few years. The Snakeshead Frits just keep showing up year after year. Spread in a modest way; wish they'd spread way more - I love these guys.

I've had only limited success with this plant--it seems to be surviving, if not thriving and multiplying, in a fairly moist area of one of my borders at the edge of the lawn.

This is one of my favorite spring bulbs, but it might be an acquired taste.
Here in Minnesota it is difficult to keep fritillaria with larger bulbs (e.g. f. persica, f. imperealis). They always seem to do well the first spring, then the next year they only produce foliage, and continue to fade each year. However, the smaller bulbed f. meleagris and f. assyriaca are ideal for our area. I have found that only about half of the bulbs planted actually appear, but once they show up, they continue to grow and spread easily. If you want a mixture of purple and white, I recommend ordering extra white ones because the mixtures seem to lean heavily to the purple.
My favorite feature of this flower is the serpent-like way they come out of the ground until blooming. They twist and turn, lie on the ground, stand up, and all of this activity is underscored by the rather reptillian appearance of the buds and flowers.
They have a rather cool, somber, even "gothic" appearance that contrasts nicely with gaudy daffodils and other brightly colored spring bulbs.

The other great feature is that they are fairly tall and very thin so the leaves and stems don't take up lots of precious garden space as do tulips. I have a really healthy bed growing amongst jetfire daffodils, columbines and anemone pulsatilla.

I love the checkered flowers of these. They bloom quite early in spring, and I have had not problem with rodents on them. Ours a quite tall--sometimes a foot high, but their coloring makes them hard to spot until you look closely.
Our soil is very heavy clay, wet to saturation. They are growing near a blue spruce, where the needles keep the soil mildly acid. I have heard that they are supposed to smell bad, but mine smell just fine and I frequently pick a bunch and put them on our dining table. They are one of the few bulbs that does well in our soggy springs--along with winter aconite and narcissus actaea. The checkers look like pixels and my husband calls them "those computer-generated flowers"

Oh what beauty!!!! I had it growing in my S. Ca. garden, full sun, it came up every year for 15 years, I had just started my garden, and planted low growing Junipers next to it, it still came up thru the foliage every year.

In our somewhat cool, damp climate in Newfoundland (Canadian zone 5b) these do well, self seeding readily. When bulbs arrive in the nurseries here in September or October the soil is already cooling down and I've found that I get more success if I keep them in moist peat in a warmer spot (10 - 15 C) until they show signs of life - shoots or roots. Then I can plant them out, once their dormancy is broken they are OK. (This works with several other kinds of "bulbs" too like anemones or oxalis adenophylla.)

In regards to the "critters" getting at your bulbs, I have found if you place a few allium bulbs (any size, variety etc. will do) along with whatever you want left alone, this works better than anything! The next best is ground oyster shell, placed within the planting hole and also on top of the soil after covering the bulbs. I have not had any problems with fritillary, tulips, anything voles or squirrels are drawn to. And fritillary are indeed charming!

These fast became a favorite of the squirrels and chipmunks. I planted 100 fritillaria bulbs last year. 2 survived the keen olfactory senses of natures little critters. I advise cautionary measures (covering with hardware cloth is one) be taken if you have a lot of inquisitive rodents around.

I love the checkered print on the petals!

Perennial, upright bulb from Europe and Russia.

Has slim, light-grey green leaves. Bears bell to almost box shaped, maroon to purple, checkered (like tiny mosaic) flowers.

Flowers March - May

Needs moist but well drained or damp, fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. Is native in Southern England in water meadows and is an idea subject for naturalising in damp grassland (oh for the space!).

The bulbs of all fritillaries are very delicate and easily damaged so handle as little as possible and with great care.

The plants are best bought and planted 'in the green' (has some leaves on it). Bulbs are quite small, white and very prone to over drying. Bulbs bought cheaply may also need a year to settle before they will flower.

Divide large clumps carefully after flowering. The bulbs will produce tiny, grain sized bulbils which may also be propagated.

Sow the seed direct or in a pot and leave outside in a sheltered area, they need a period of cold to germinate.

Sometimes will produce the pure white, forma 'Alba'

Easily grown in average, medium wet, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers moist organic soil in light shade. Plant bulbs 3" deep in fall.