Thursday 30 April 2009

Thursdays favourite plant

So I want to do a weekly show of love for some of my favourite plants, I'll add some tips and advice too if i can. Todays is.....

Snakes head fritillary (Fritillaria melagris)




Love love love this gorgeous little gem.

This little baby is a quite rare native of damp meadow and chalk soils (I've sadly never seen it in the wild). I grow mine in a container (and I've also got a small clump in my wild patch) that way I can enjoy it close up whilst it's flowering. You can buy it as dry bulbs in the autumn but like snowdrops I find it grows better if you get it ready growing or after flowering ("in the green"), check out the alpine section of the garden centre, they sometimes reduce them when they've finished flowering. Although in the wild they like damp soil I plant mine up with gravel mixed in the compost to improve drainage, and to prevent the bulbs rotting in the winter.

There such beautiful delicate flowers like Tiffany lamps.

I'd love to know what your favourite plants are, or if you've seen fritillary's growing wild.

2 comments:

Kim said...

I do love the 'undergardener', what's his name and breed? He's yummy :)

Kim x

Jess said...

Thanks kim, thats alfie, he's a bit jack russell, a bit lakeland terrier and a bit patterdale terrier.

 

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