Having spent the last couple of weeks obsessing about Hellebores, a trip to the garden centre on Mother's Day reminded me of another of my favourites at this time of year, the Snakes Head Fritillary, or Fritillaria Meleagris.
A hardy bulb, Fritillarys like rich, moist soil in sun or partial shade and are originally a beautiful British wildflower. The versions cultivated for gardens come in shades of purple and pink, and white, but all retain the checkerboard effect which makes them so striking. The word Meleagris, according to the RHS, means 'spotted like a guinea fowl', a lovely way of describing their markings.
You would think that originally being a wildflower would make them easy to grow, however I have always found them quite tricky to get established. Once you have found a place they are happy and got them going then the clumps will come again and again, but I have planted many Fritillary bulbs around my garden and watched them dwindle to nothing over the years.
The longest lasting plant from my last attempt insisted on growing right under the swing, causing untold agro between Mother and offspring and a non-swing zone was implemented last year. There is no sign of my lone Fritillary this year (I blame the swingers!)
So this year I decided to try planting in the green, like you do with snowdrops (another thing I have struggled to establish) and I'll let you know how successful that proves. Even if they're never seen again, they look lovely now!
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