Fritillaria 2019/20 season

[PaulFlowers]

Frit. crassifolia ssp crassifolia

[WSGR]

Cute blooms!

[colin e]

Hi Rob,

Sorry I have not done this sooner but your question is a bit like how long is a piece of string. Also the weather each year will affect what I do because it affects how they grow. I hope what is below is of some use to you.

West coast Fritillaria cultivation

All I can do is say what I do (very condensed), but be advised you may have to adjust things for your microclimate, conditions and how you work your pots.
 
My mix is VERY gritty. It is 1 part homemade John Innes, 1 part 2-4mm potting grit and 2 parts Sanicat Pink (cat litter) a substitute for Seramis.

First watering after dormancy has no set date but I watch night temperatures. What I am looking for is overnight temps of 10c or less. I then water, but only enough to have an evenly damp mix. Then do not let it dry out and only increase moisture level of the mix when growth is visible.

I liquid feed at most waterings with Peters Excel: N 15% P 5% K 15%. The concentration I am aiming for is N of no more than 100ppm and about 1000µs total strength. This is about half strength. Half way through the season this is changed to Peters Excel: N 13% K 5% K 20% at quarter strength plus an additional Potash K of 129 ppm (about 2.5g in 9.1lt). Watering is as needed ,but be careful, the basal plates are prone to rotting. If you need to water a lot, alternate between water and feeding.

Temperature requirements will be dependent on where they come from. But in general they do not like it too warm. If it is, the bulb will produce contractile roots to pull itself away from the heat.

Dormancy: do not bake them. If possible keep the temp below 25c. Keep them dry but not dry enough to desiccate them. 


Colin

[Karaba]

Whaou! This is art of cultivation ! Thanks Colin,

[PaulFlowers]

The flower is huge; fritillaria oliveiri

[PaulFlowers]

lentune slate: bought from eBay a couple of years ago

[Rimmer de Vries]

I think this is Fritillaria acmopetala ssp. wendelboi.

[Ophrys]

Fritillaria bithynica is flowering for the first time at my home.

[ArnoldT]

The name Wendelbo reminds me of a book I've had on my shelf for a long time.  Tulips and Irises of Iran and their relatives.

Written by Per Wendebo.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_Erland_Berg_Wendelbo

[Steve Garvie]

Fritillaria pinardii -a nice form of this variable species.


Fritillaria minuta -a spare bulb which has grown well in a covered rockery/crevice bed.


Fritillaria bucharica -bought as poluninii. It is a nice form that flowers later and clumps up more than the other forms of bucharica that I grow.


Fritillaria davidii -I only got two flowers this year.


Fritillaria crassifolia ssp. hakkariensis

[colin e]

last lot of pictures

[colin e]

second lot of pictures

[colin e]

I am coming to the end of flowering in the greenhouse and some are even thinking of going dormant. This was possibly triggered by the warm weather we had last week and the fact that I did not get the shading on fast enough to keep the temperature as cool as possible. On the plus side, when I compare the time span from emerging above the gravel to starting to go dormant. most have still actually had close to their normal growth time.
Some pictures I have not got round to before are below. In amongst them are three different Fritillaria drenovskii and my original Fritillaria sororum from 2001 followed by three more that I got as small bulbs in 2017. These are very variable and one looks very similar to Fritillaria acmopetala. The last picture is a first for me: Fritillaria tubiformis subsp moggridgei. It has taken me eight year from seed to get this to flower. I think in the first few years I was not giving it what it wanted so it did not grow well.

Colin

[Rob-Rah]

Hi Rob,

Sorry I have not done this sooner but your question is a bit like how long is a piece of string. Also the weather each year will affect what I do because it affects how they grow. I hope what is below is of some use to you.

That's great - many thanks!

[Steve Garvie]

Some bonny wee tubby belles:

Fritillaria collina -three flowering plants at various stages in this pot.



Fritillaria aurea ex KPPZ 90-296 -the bell opens up as the flower stem lengthens.


Fritillaria latifolia -vegetative increase is painfully slow with me.


Fritillaria tubiformis -a single flower and then a potful of flowers (16).