Fritillaria 'Snake's Head'

When we came to view the house we ended up buying, I remember thinking how lovely all the Fritillaria 'Snake's Head' flowers looked in the raised bed just outside the front door. At the time I had no idea what they were or how to look after them...

Instantly recognizable by their distinctive snakes-skin markings in shades of purple always with a pronounced checked pattern all over, and even the luminous white form has a faint check pattern like a watermark. Fritillaria are extremely hardy and trouble-free in free-draining soil, and love the light shade of woodland conditions.

We have dozens and dozens of them in our raised border which look lovely and when they start to fade the bluebells start to peak and the cow parsley begins to flower. But after that it looks like a bed of weeds so over time I am trying to get rid of the weeds, keeping the Fritillaria and bluebells and sowing lots of wild flowers for the Summer months...