Fritillaria-2008

[Boyed]

Gerd,
height of frit. verticillata sounds very impressive and it must be showy for the garden. In catalogues they usually mention 30-50 cm height for this species. And I would like to know if its flowers have the same sizes as those of mellegaris or smaller.

Lesley,
the short height of your fr. grandiflora is surprising me. Mine get 60 cm tall. Here are the last years pictures. Now it is in bud and I hope that soon I will again see it in bloom. It looks very good in combination with my tulips and is one of my garden gems.

[Susan Band]

Gerd, I am not sure but perhaps your Frit verticillata is actually thunbergii. There is a lot of confusion between the two. Here are pictures of Frit verticillata 'Kara-sumbe' and 'Urdzhar' both from Janis Ruksans. Also a picture of my thunbergi which I got previously as verticillata (also I think from Janis) The petals on the verticillata are whiter and more fleshy. Sorry about the thunbergii photo it is the only one I could find and its not flowering yet.

[Boyed]

Susan,

I do agree with you. I also think that Gerd's frit must be thumbergii.
Your shots are beutiful! I wonder how large the flowers of your verticillata cultivars are.

[Susan Band]

Boyed,
The plants are smaller and more robust than thunbergii. The thunbergii come through the ground very early but the flowers do not open until quite late on. Verticulata on the other hand has just recently appeared but will flower at the same time.
The flowers of Kara-sumbe are quite small (about 2-3cm long)but beautifully shaped and strong. On Urdzhar they are larger about 3-4cm and equally fleshy. This is through memory, I will check once they are flowering this year.

[Boyed]

Thanks Susan,

I received both cultivars in autumn, but, unfortunately, lost during winter due to overwatering.
I ask those size related questions, beacause many frits look very beautiful in photos, but in natuaral they turn out be not that impressive, at least for my taste. I don't have a rock garden and so I mostly look for showy plants for good garden display.

[Gerry Webster]

I agree with Susan & Zhirair that Gerd's frit is F.thunbergii. For many years this was widely known as F.verticillata & still is in many places. It is only recently that the true F. verticillata has been cultivated in Western Europe.

Zhirair - the flowers of F. thunbergii are usually somewhat smaller than those of F.meleagris but who knows what will happen in your garden where all the frits become giants!

[Paul T]

Well, you learn something new every day.... as far as I knew verticillata and thunbergii were synonyms for the same thing.

Gerd,

The Fritillaria tubiformis  ssp. moggridgei is stunning.  Love those little square flowers, and in such a good yellow.   

The grandifloras that have been posted are pretty nice too!!

[Gerdk]

o k - my Fritillaria verticillata is in fact thunbergii. Thank you for clarification! I compared my plant with a pic shown in The Bulb Book by Rix & Phillips.
There the photo of F. verticillata (p. 87) shows exactly my plant - but, I didn't notice the text, which is: The form shown here is F. thunbergii Miq., which is that usually cultivated.
Flowers of my plant are much smaller than those of F. meleagris.
Susan, your plants are magnificent!

Gerd

[Boyed]

Zhirair - the flowers of F. thunbergii are usually somewhat smaller than those of F.meleagris but who knows what will happen in your garden where all the frits become giants!

Good said Gerry. It relates not only frits, but also tulips. I don't know why, but all my tulips get larger and 20-30 taller of thier normal or expected heights. Maybe they love me, who knows. I must say that I don't use any fertilisers at all.

[hadacekf]

Here are some shots of Fritillaria imperialis & persica in flowers today.

[Lesley Cox]

Of Franz, you stun and amaze us yet again. These are magnificent and make me green with envy.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful plants Franz !!!!

[Paul T]

Lesley,

What's the next level past green, envy-wise.  I think we're going to have to meet there sometime.  Those imperialis and persica are absolutely STUNNING!! 

[hadacekf]

Thank you all together for the kind comments.
Lesley,
By the way, many years ago (15 years) Fritillaria persica grow without difficulties. This year had I after 15 years again a beautiful flower. But question  not why - I do not know. With F. imperialis I did not have problems.

[Maggi Young]

Thank you all together for the kind comments.
Lesley,
By the way, many years ago (15 years) Fritillaria persica grow without difficulties. This year had I after 15 years again a beautiful flower. But question  not why - I do not know. With F. imperialis I did not have problems.

How strange to have no flowers for so long on the F. persica..... but how strange ....and good....that the bulbs still lived on after all that time.