578 



FRITILLARIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



FRITILLARIA. 



FRITILLARIA (Ft itillary}. Bulbs of 

 the Lily family, several of which are valu- 

 able, some, such as the Crown Imperial, 

 being stately, others such as F. recurva, 

 being delicate and pretty, but most have 

 dull-tinted curiously interesting flowers. 

 They may be put to many uses : the Crown 

 Imperial is a fine plant for the mixed 

 border or the shrubbery, and, being 

 vigorous, is able to take care of itself in 

 the wild garden. Its early spring growth 

 makes it valuable. The Snake's-head 

 (F. Meleagris) and others, such as F. 

 latifolia, pyrenaica, together with the 

 choicer kinds, are fitted for the bulb 

 border and for grassy places. Only one 

 or two require special treatment ; all the 

 others thrive in ordinary garden soil. 

 They may all be readily increased by 

 offsets from the old bulbs, which should 

 be lifted every three or four years and 

 planted in fresh soil a process very 

 beneficial to the plants. The lifting 

 should be done in autumn, and the bulbs 

 replanted without delay. The following 



White Fritillary. 



are among the most desirable for general 

 cultivation : 



F. aurea, one of the prettiest of the 

 genus, is quite hardy, is about 5 in. high, 

 and has a stem of four to six in. thick, 

 fleshy, deep green leaves, with a nodding 



flower, which is pale yellow spotted, or 

 chequered with brown. Silesia. 



F. Burneti, a handsome hardy plant 

 about 9 in. high, with solitary drooping 

 blossoms, 2 in. long, which are of a plum 

 colour chequered with yellowish-green. 

 Alps. Flowers with the Snowdrop, and is 

 as easy to grow. 



F. imperialis (Crown Imperial). A 

 showy and stately plant, from 3 to 4 ft. 

 high, with stout bright green shoots, 



Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis). 



crested by large dense whorls of drooping 

 bell-like flowers and a crown of foliage. 

 There are several varieties, differing chiefly 

 in the colour of the flowers. The princi- 

 pal a.re-lutea (yellow), rubra (red), double 

 red and double yellow, rubra maxima 

 (very large red flowers), Aurora (bronzy 

 orange), sulphurine (large sulphur-yellow), 

 Orange Crown (orange-red), Stagzwaard 

 (a fasciated stem form, with very large 

 deep red blossoms), and aurea marginata 

 (gold-striped foliage); every lead being 

 margined with a broad golden-yellow 

 band, blending with the rest of the 

 foliage. This plant thrives best in a rich 

 deep loam, especially if the bulbs remain 

 undisturbed for years. Its best place, per- 

 haps, is in a group on the fringe of the 

 shrubbery or a group of American plants. 

 For artistic effects it is not so valuable as 

 the common Snake's-head ; and its odour 

 is against it when gathered. 



