Search with at least 3 characters

Choose your language:

Fritillaria

Fritillaria bulbs: crown imperial, snake’s head and Fritillaria persica

Fritillaria is a genus of spring bulbs with nodding, bell-shaped flowers. The best known are the crown imperial (Fritillaria imperialis), with a ring of orange, red or yellow flowers on stems of 80–100 cm, and the snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris), with chequered purple or white bells. Fritillarias are planted early in autumn and flower in April and May. They are hardy and stay in the same spot for years.

Uses

Gardens and borders: the crown imperial as an eye-catcher at the back of the border, together with tulips, daffodils and allium.
Naturalising: the snake’s head fritillary naturalises in moist grassland and woodland edges.
Public green spaces and landscaping: for height and striking accents in spring planting.
Cut flowers: crown imperial and Fritillaria persica are suitable as cut flowers.

Professional cultivation: forcing crown imperial and snake’s head

For early flowering, the crown imperial receives staged cooling of 15 weeks in total after harvest (falling from 9 to 2 °C), followed by 4 weeks of rooting at 5 °C and 3 weeks in the greenhouse at 15 °C. Some cultivars can then flower at the end of January. The snake’s head receives about 14 weeks at 5 °C in pots and goes into the greenhouse in February at 12–15 °C.

We advise on cultivar choice, cooling schedules and planning. Read more about professional growing.

Our fritillaria range

Crown imperial (Fritillaria imperialis) Rubra Maxima, Rubra, Lutea, Aurora, Raddeana and Striped Beauty; Fritillaria persica and Persica Ivory Bells; snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) mixed and Alba; and Fritillaria acmopetala.

Flowering time by species

Species	Flowering (NL)	Height (approx.)	Examples
Crown imperial (F. imperialis)	April	80–100 cm	Rubra Maxima, Lutea
Fritillaria persica	April – May	60–90 cm	Persica, Ivory Bells
Snake’s head (F. meleagris)	April – May	20–30 cm	Meleagris mixed, Meleagris Alba
Other small-flowered species	April – May	30–40 cm	Acmopetala, Michailovskyi

Key facts

Planting season	late August – October, earlier than most spring bulbs
Planting depth	crown imperial 12–15 cm; small-flowered species approx. 10 cm
Spacing	crown imperial 25–30 cm; small-flowered species approx. 10 cm
Bulbs per m²	crown imperial: borders approx. 20, public green spaces approx. 10
Flowering	April – May
Position	sun to light shade; well-drained soil, dry during dormancy; snake’s head tolerates moister soil
Note	a hole in the top of the bulb is normal: that is where last year’s stem grew. Crown imperial bulbs have a strong scent
Toxicity	toxic if eaten; the bulbs can irritate the skin, so wear gloves

View all fritillaria in the webshop. Business customers see prices after logging in. Our current catalogues are on the Downloads page. For a quotation, please contact us.