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Fritillaria meleagris

snake's head fritillary

AGM plants

AGM plants have been through a rigorous trial and assessment programme. They are:

  • Excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions
  • Available to buy
  • Of good constitution
  • Essentially stable in form & colour
  • Reasonably resistant to pests & diseases
RHS Plant Shop from £5.99 Sold by 62 nurseries

  • Other common names snake's head fritillary
    chequered daffodil

    chequered lily
    drooping tulip
    guinea flower
    guinea-hen flower
    leper lily
    snake heads

    see more

  • Family Liliaceae

  • Genus Fritillaria are bulbous herbaceous perennials with lance-shaped or linear leaves and nodding bell-shaped or bowl-shaped flowers that may be solitary or in racemes or umbels

  • Details F. meleagris is a bulbous perennial to 30cm in height, with lance-shaped, greyish-green leaves and 1-2 nodding, bell-shaped purple flowers, the tepals tessellated with pale pink in a checkerboard fashion. Widely naturalised in Britain, but probably not a true native

  • Plant range Europe to W Siberia

Characteristics

  • Foliage Deciduous

  • Habit Columnar/Upright

  • Hardiness

    Hardiness ratings

    All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

    • H1a - Under glass all year (>15C)
    • H1b - Can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
    • H1c - Can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
    • H2 - Tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
    • H3 - Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
    • H4 - Hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
    • H5 - Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
    • H6 - Hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
    • H7 - Hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

    H5

Colour

Sunlight

  • Partial Shade

  • Full Sun

  • Aspect South-facing or North-facing or West-facing or East-facing

  • Exposure Exposed or Sheltered

Soil

  • Chalk

    Chalk

  • Sand

    Sand

  • Clay

    Clay

  • Loam

    Loam

  • MoistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained

  • SoilChalk, Sand, Clay, Loam

  • pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral

Size

  • Ultimate height 0.1-0.5 metres

  • Ultimate spread 0-0.1 metre

  • Time to ultimate height 2-5 years

How to grow

Cultivation Grows well in most fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soils and prefers cool, moist summers. Handle the fragile bulbs carefully and plant at four times own depth. Suitable for rock garden, raised bed or naturalising in grass

Propagation Propagate by seed, sown in pots in a cold frame in autumn. Needs exposure to winter cold for germination in spring. Division of offsets can be done in late summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types Flower borders and beds Cottage & Informal Garden Rock Garden Wildflower meadow

How to care

Pruning No pruning required

Pests Prone to slugs and lily beetle

Diseases Generally disease free

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Fritillaria meleagris

snake's head fritillary

Buy from £5.99 at the RHS Plants Shop

Buy from £5.99 at the RHS Plants Shop

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