As soon as Christmas passes and we hurtle into spring, many look out for the first sign of life: the emerging albino head of the crocus, or an early flame bud of a daffodil. For many, these are the quintessential harbinger of spring. For me, though, I only feel the pure delight of spring run through my veins at the first sight of a snake's head fritillary poking through the soil in early April. A beautiful sight to behold.
Though snake's heads aren't the only fritillaria that gets my pulse racing. The Fritillaria genus is larger and more complex than perhaps you might think, with several highly covetable varieties, each as dashingly handsome and peculiar as the next. They are some of the very best spring bulbs for wildlife and pollinators, and add to the beautiful tapestry of a well-formed, varied spring garden.
Here’s a guide to some of the very best and most beautiful fritillaria varieties and my top picks of the bulbs to get your hands on now.
Snake's Head Fritillaries (Fritillaria meleagris)
These are the fritillaries many of us are familiar with, but they're so impossibly beautiful and dainty, spotting one is something like spotting a fairy, a rare, magical thing.
Snake's head fritillaries love woodland conditions, so they tolerate shade, making them some of the best plants to underplant trees or live in shade-drenched grasses and meadows. They grow in USDA zones 5a-9b and prefer damp, humus-rich soil that remains consistently moist but not waterlogged.
These pretty, pendant flowers come in a classic deep plum shade that we most commonly see, with its distinctive checkerboard markings, or the white flowered Fritillaria meleagris 'Alba', which looks stunning mingled with the cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) and the classic bell-shaped blossom Muscari Grape Ice from Dutch Grown.
You can purchase Fritillaria meleagris bulbs from Dutch Grown, plant them in October for spring flowers, and leave them in the ground during their dormancy for blooms year after year.
Persian Lily (Fritillaria persica)
Fritillaria persica, also known as Persian Lily, is a very elegant, tall bulbous perennial originating from the Middle East. It's one of the largest of its tribe, soaring to a lofty 4ft tall, adding necessary height and vertical interest to spring borders.
It's easy to grow in USDA zones 4-8, is deer and rabbit-resistant, and makes for a truly stunning cut flower for spring arrangements.
The two Fritillaria persica varieties I recommend are:
Fritillaria persica 'Ivory Bells'
I adore the greenish-white bell-shaped flowers on this fritillary. Planted en masse in spring beds, they look utterly divine amongst swathes of forget-me-nots and tulip foxy foxtrot, available at Dutch Grown. It is a planting combination I have worked with before, and the result is staggeringly beautiful.
As long as they are planted in well-drained soil, they make for beautiful container gardening ideas, too, especially as they are hardy and very tolerant of most conditions.
Fritillaria persica 'Adiyaman'
What a sensationally beautiful fritillary. So beautiful and tactile, you simply can't help but reach out and touch it.
Its gray-green foliage precedes the long, conical cluster of drooping, mauve, bell-shaped flowers. A mesmerising addition to mixed borders, but it also looks stunning in large flower pots with the little heads of muscari and peach-hued daffodils, like Daffodil peach prince, available at Dutch Grown.
You can purchase Fritillaria persica 'Adiyaman' bulbs from Eden Brothers.
Crown Imperials (Fritillaria imperialis)
Rather arresting, statuesque plants that look like a work of art when planted in large groups.
Fritillaria imperialis are super reliable growers and grow in hardiness zones 3-9.
They can soar to an impressive height of up to 5ft, so they often work perfectly at the back or middle of a border. There are several crown imperial varieties, but these are the two I recommend:
Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra'
Wondering how to create a maximalist border? Then these Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra' should be on your wish list.
Orange bell-shaped flowers are topped with a crown of leaves, rather like a silly floppy fringe. It grows to around 44 inches tall and is frequented by hummingbirds and honeybees.
They only bloom for a couple of weeks, but what a magnificent riot of color they are. Once blooming is over, I leave the seedheads in place, which add architectural interest for several more weeks.
You can buy Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra' bulbs at Nature Hills.
Fritillaria Raddeana
If you tend to shy away from crown imperials for fear that they are too exotic-looking for a naturalistic planting scheme, this variety has changed the game somewhat.
Fritillaria Raddeana, which is available to pre-order Fritillaria Raddeana bulbs from Dutch Grown is a newly enhanced fritillaria with lovely creamy flowers tinged with e hint of citrus lime.
Fully hardy, so long as it is planted in the sunshine and in well-drained soil, it will flower throughout spring without any fuss. It's one of the best plants for pollinators, too, being a magnet for native bees and well known to attract butterflies in droves.
Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis)
Native to Western North America, the chocolate lily is an impossibly delicate and graceful. Ideal for zones 5-9, they come up to flower on banks, borders, meadows, and even happily in pots. Once snipped and added to vases for table decorations, you will be well and truly hooked on them for life.
The chocolate rice lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis) is a staggeringly beautiful cousin of the chocolate lily. Whilst not the same thing, they are closely related.
The chocolate rice lily has the most beautifully delicate chocolate brown flowers with sleepy nodding heads that catch the slightest wind. Truly mesmerizing. They grow to around 60cm (23in) and look beautiful dotted in among wildflower meadows. You can buy chocolate rice lily seeds from Ferri Seeds.
Michael's Flower (Fritillaria michailovskyi)
It's close to impossible to pick my favourite spring bulbs of all time, but certainly this fritillaria variety would make the roster if I were forced to choose. It is a breathtaking little flower, unlike any other of the fritillary variety.
With a dwarf habit, it only grows around 25cm (10in) tall with small nodding, claret red flowers with butter yellow tips. They are highly unusual and a rarity to see, so it's worth getting your hands on them if you ever see them. They grow in zones 5-8, preferring full sun and well-drained soil.
They look dazzling on their own in terracotta planters, or interplanted with narcissi bulbs.
Shop beautiful frarillaria accessories
Used for ikebana flower displays, these Kenzan (also referred to as floral frogs) are a sustainable, reusable alternative to floral foam and showcase fritillaries beautifully, allowing each one to hang it's head woefully, simply stunning.
Fritillaries not only look stunning packed into terracotta planters, but they also perform very well in them. This one is crafted from natural terracotta with a softly weathered finish, which is a beautiful base for the floral element.
This beautiful handmade brass star-shaped stake looks magical nestled in amongst crowds of ethereal fritillaries. I often grow fritillaries indoors, too, so this is definitely going to look superb, illuminating rainy spring windowsills.
In terms of caring for your fritillaries, whilst the genus is varied, and so care depends on the particular fritillaria varieties you're growing in your plot, on the whole, they are very reliable, high-impact bulbs with very little need for anything.
Fritillaries generally can find what they need from the soil, but you can apply an organic fertilizer in spring to encourage strong flowering. I find that organic flower-tone plant food available at Amazon works best, and it can be used in vases for cut flowers too, to keep them flowering for much longer.
