Fritillaries

A highlight of our May garden is seeing the different fritillaries blooming. Here are pictured a few that are currently in flower: F. involucrata from the Alps, seen at top, is described in my reference book on fritillaries as having “quiet charm”. It is, in fact, the essence of subtlety. F. pontica, pictured next, is from S.E. Europe (the mountains of Albania to western Turkey), and it might be even a little more “subtle”. It is quite a bit more spectacular when seen from below, peering up into the bell, but on an eight inch tall plant taking such a picture requires more effort than I was up to today. F. pallidiflora from central Asia does not require any acrobatics to see up into its pale yellow, squarish bells, for it is a large, stout plant with nice, grey-green foliage. The fourth fritillary pictured probably needs no introduction, as it is the crown imperial, with brick red flowers. My plants grown in a sunny bed are all of four foot tall. F. latakensis, native to Turkey, is a newcomer to our garden; it is quite tall, with petals that alternate in cool green and grayish purple. Finally we have to have a picture of F. meleagris, the snake’s head fritillary; I’m pleased to report that it is spreading about our garden moderately, and is welcome wherever it shows up (though it’s been popping up in some of the grassy paths, too).