Fritillary or Checkered Lily
Fritillaria meleagris (LILIACEAE)
Planting and Growing Frittilary
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow fritillary or checkered lily in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of fritillary or checkered lily
- Season of bloom and planting time for fritillary or checkered lily
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for fritillary or checkered lily
- When, how deep, and where to plant fritillary or checkered lily
- How to plant fritillary or checkered lily
- Watering, fertilizing, care and pests or diseases of fritillary or checkered lily
- Landscape and indoor uses of fritillary or checkered lily
- Comments about fritillary or checkered lily and its features
Growing Frittilary
Spring bulb. Deciduous. Stands 16 in. (40 cm) tall. Radiating, grasslike, midlength green leaves.
Close relative of crown imperial, Fritillaria imperialis, with bare stalks, radiating flowers, and leafy crown, and requiring similar care.
Frittilary Planting and Care Guide
Flowers
Spring. Brown, pink, purple, violet, white, with variegated geometric patterns. Multiple nodding, bell-shaped, musk-fragrant flowers, 2–2‑1/2‑in. (50–63‑mm) long, in clusters.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 2–9; ground hardy, zones 4–7.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy loam. Fertility: Average. 6.0–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Autumn in full sun to partial shade, zones 4–9; spring, zones 2–3. Space 6–8 in. (15–20 cm) apart, 4–8 in. (10–20 cm) deep.
Proper Care
Easy–moderate. Keep moist spring–summer. Fertilize in spring. Mulch, zones 8–9. Protect from heat. Propagate by offsets. Best left undisturbed.
Lifting and Storing
Dark, 40–50°F (4–10°C), in net bag or open basket of dry peat moss.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, beds, borders in meadow, woodland gardens and landscapes. Deer, rodent resistant.