Fritillaria meleagris Alba - flower bulbs and perennial plants from Holland

Fritillaria meleagris Alba (Fritillaria meleagris var. Unicolor subvar.alba, Checkered Lily 'Alba', Fritillaria meleagris 'Alba'). This spectacular perennial is an ephemeroid. This fritillaria will add tenderness to the spring garden. It will not leave anyone indifferent! The chess hazel grouse or chess fritillaria blooms at the same time as the imperial hazel grouse.

This variety differs from other hazel grouse in its white flowers with green veins. The petals are neatly painted in a checkered pattern and look very much like a chessboard. But it is quite difficult to see the cells, as they merge with the background of the petal. The flowers are single or paired, six-petalled, drooping, bell-shaped, up to 3-4cm long. Open in spring. Peduncles are thin, smooth or with tubercles. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, grey-green in colour.

In the wild, the checkerboard hazel grouse grows in the western Himalayas and Asia Minor. It prefers rich, well-drained soils with a neutral pH. It requires a slightly light shade or patchy sunlight. Plants look very beautiful in groups under bushes or on the lawn. The height of the plant is 15 - 35 cm. Adult plants can grow taller than its normal height. You need about 25 - 27 bulbs per square metre. This plant blooms in mid to late spring. Frost resistance is high, this plant can withstand temperatures down to -34 ° C. Bulb size - 6 cm / + (Dimensions are in centimetres around the circumference of the bulb). The bulbs are not damaged by rodents, but on the contrary, scare them away due to their specific smell.