I'm sorry, but I might have a bad news for you.
They are not absolutely reliably hardy in z6, even less in z5. This is the only plant that I really winter protect by piling 6-8" of mulch over the area of their planting.
More to that, they need absolutely perfect drainage.
Perfect to the point that if your soil is anything less than very sandy loam you'll have to grow them (inground) in double-bottom pots where space between bottoms should be filled with very coarse sand or construction grit.
Another problem with them is that they have to be watered during spring growing period and would prefer to be in a bone dry soil the rest of the summer. Bulbs are perishable and need to be planted ASAP unless you could provide a certain constant level of humidity and temperature (I don't know those parameters).
Unfortunately they are not really suitable for indoor growth too, since they have to go thru 70F-30F-60F cycle to produce flowers.
Other than those 'small' inconviniences (haha) they are beautiful:

Wow--no wonder I don't see them in gardens much. Of course, there aren't many tours when they bloom either. The hardiness question is puzzling. Books say they are hardy to zone 5.

Do you think I should plant them in pots and keep them in the unheated garage thru the winter? I really want to grow these at least once. And your beautiful photo makes me more determined. I bought the yellow kind. The bulbs certainly smell awful. I heard the flowers smell like skunk but didn't know the bulbs did too.

I'd do as EGO said, dig deep holes now and add sandy soil, cover with deep leaf mulch, perhaps held in place by branches. Choose a sheltered spot if you can, the warmest part of your garden, maybe an area protected from the prevailing winds.

Then pretend to forget about them, and maybe you will have a great surprise in spring.

I haven't grown these, but I've grown similarly tempermental or marginally hardy bulbs, and this is my technique. Sometimes it works, and, when it doesn't work, it's less disapointing than a garage full of pots of dead bulbs.

Usually, bulbs like to set roots before the ground freezes. These don't have too much chance of doing that. So do you still think outdoor planting in a protected place is preferable to trying to grow them in pots?

The ground won't be frozen until January, unless you're in Heath or a similar area where it's pretty much frozen all year. Don't know how deep these are to be planted, but the frost doesn't penetrate very far very fast if you have mulched well.

I'm not an expert on fritillaria, and it's a little warmer here than where you are, I believe, but I'd plant them out now and hope for the best.

If you'll pot them now and store in unheated garage you still have wrap/insulate those pots since at 10-15F those Iran/Iraq/Turkey native most likely will die.
I think that if you could find a sunny spot under the eave of the roof (still have to have a perfect drainage there) you'll take care of the most of the problems.
You'll need to water them in a spring during the period of active growth, bloom and little bid thereafter, but beside that they wouldn't need anything else.

No wonder I never could never get them to grow :o)

I bought Fritillaria pallidiflora this year-hope it is a little easier?

F. pallidiflora will be hardy for anyone in New England, even for z4 NH.
They are native to Kazachstan and southern Siberia, where winters are extremely cold and summers are extremely hot.
As most frits they wouldn't tolerate damp conditions, but much less demanding in all other respects.
Will happily grow and bloom in part shade and in full sun, though in full sun you'll have a better rate of multiplication.
The only fritillaria I'm familiar with that could tolerate wet soils is f. meleagris which grow along river banks in Eastern Europe as a weed. It's actually a weed and given the right conditions could colonize large areas.

Lovely photo, George.

I agree with all the above but will add my own experience for good measure. I want to say, first, that they are stunning plants and absolutely worth trying. They might only be annuals for you, due to our wet summers, but they're still marvelous. The additional benefit to growing them is that their skunky odor repels squirrels and other plant-damaging rodents.

When I grew F. imperialis, I planted the bulbs about 8" deep, on top of a 2" cushion of coarse sand. I planted each bulb at a 45-degree angle; this helps prevent the centers of the bulbs from collecting water during a wet winter. My soil does not have perfect drainage, by any stretch of the imagination, but the sand cushion and the tilty planting seemed to do the trick. I've never protected them from cold--I thought the main issue here was death by rot, rather than by cold--but I've read that they tend too be short-lived unless you garden in climate/soil very similar to their native conditions. (I'm not challenging George/EGO45's expertise--just never knew they were marginally hardy in z6.) I love them. BUT, I don't grow them anymore because they are magnets for the lily-leaf beetle. Hopefully, this nasty pest doesn't live in your area, Ginny12. If it does, be prepared to fight as soon as the F. i. appear in spring, or to watch a gruesome death.

As noted, the bulbs are very perishable. They should be green-white-ish, stinky, plump and firm, and feel heavy. If they feel light or have a brown-ish, dry-ish look and you can't detect a skunky odor from them, your chances of them growing are quite low.

I would definitely try them in the ground, rather than in pots, unless you have enough to try a few bulbs in each situation. As Nan said, the ground is unlikely to freeze before January, especially 6-8" down. And piling some leaves (oak leaves are best, if you have them) over the soil after planting will provide a lot of protection at the surface.

Good luck, and tell us what happens in the spring.

Amanda

Amanda, Thanks for the additional helpful info. Woe is me. We do indeed have lily leaf beetles here--they are a scourge. On the other hand, do I have oak leaves. Millions, with no exaggeration. This is going to be quite a challenge, I can see. I guess I'll be satisfied if I can see the darn things bloom once and take some great photos so I can satisfy a longstanding curiosity about this plant. And yes, the bulbs really stink so I guess that is a good sign.

You never know, Ginny12, they might flourish for you for the next 5 or more years. Plants are full of surprises.

Last spring, I used neem oil on any F. meleagris still around after 3 years of the lily beetle. It (neem) worked very well, much to my surprise. I applied it slightly less regularly than I had been instructed to, but I still saw no damage (or pests) after I began the applications. As insecticides go, neem is safe for the environment, which is why I used it. There are other, stronger but toxic things you can use on lily beetle if you choose to go that route.

(And I see I did something horrible: "tend toO be short lived" has toO many o's! I typed one of my own pet peeves--sorry.)

Amanda

Glad I'm still following this thread, as my F. meleagris seems to be dying out. I didn't realize it was targeted by lily-leaf beetle; I'll have to start keeping watch next spring. I've already tossed all my true lillies. (sobbing quietly)

If you ever find a source for red-only checkered lily, please let me know. I've only seen the mixed (red and white) and would much prefer planting only the red. It's such a great color, and a solid swath would be nice.

Nan, in order to have a 'red-only' you have to pull out all whites and all checkered at once and then do that for years to come as crosses inevitably will sprout and produce another crosses.
Theoretically it's possible, but practically... :-((

OK, all you helpful folks, here's my spring report on this project. I had bought only two bulbs and planted them in late November-early December. I planted them in a spot in my perennial border that gets full sun and is quite dry, with sandy loam. I dug deep holes and placed a 2"-3" layer of store-bought "sandbox" sand at the bottom of the holes.

I planted the bulbs tipped sideways, per instructions here and elsewhere. The bulbs have a very large hole in them, where the stem once was, and that hole is big enough to hold a lot of water--the tipped position minimizes that. Now, on April 12, I've got one large bulb emerging. I can see two big fat flower buds on it. I am so excited!! No sign of the other yet.

I bought 4 on clearance last fall and tossed them in our loamy front garden. One has emerged about 2-3", and another is popping its head up. A third must be not-too-far-behind, as the ground is cracking where it is. #4 is currently MIA.

I did nothing spectacular with these, and didn't 'tip' them any specific way (cuz I didn't know I needed to), and they are planted DEEP. Mulch on top was minimal leftovers from last year's garden...matter of fact, I can't say that I actually put it back over that area at all...

Either way, I'll try to remember to post pix here later on. If you don't see them, I might end up putting them in the bulb gallery since I go there, too.

Cheers!

I bought 6 crown imperial bulbs on a trip to Amsterdam. I planted them last fall and they are all up and the largest is going to fully blossom any day. I was wondering if the reason they did well is because of our mild winter (z4) they are planted in sandy soil, but they were not mulched when i planted them. I hope they will continue to bloom. In the Nederlands they were well over 3ft tall, just stunning!! Any information would be most helpful. Thank you

Baby Frits:

Alisgarden - are you able to bring back bulbs on the plane without hassle? I wondered if you needed to go through special customs or get special papers to bring these in. Or are they packed for shipment (like they pack pineapples in Hawaii for shipment on a plane)?

I have always wanted to try this bulb, but never have. Now with that dreadful red beetle "breaking up the party" I'm less inclined. I'm watching this thread with interest, please post some shots of them when they bloom...

Perhaps it will be the incentive I need to "fork over the pork" and plant a few.

My crown imperial is just beginning to open and no sign of the red lily beetles yet. Because of that risk, I don't think I'd plant many of these but a few are worth the gamble, Chelone.

Here are mine...

{{gwi:1097836}}

I planted these maybe 5 years ago. They come up and bloom every year but are now being shaded by the Juniper behind them and seem to be petering out somewhat. The soil in this garden is so-so and somewhat dry. I think I'm going to try a few in my retaining wall garden this fall. If I get them sited right, the effect would be cool because you could look up at them. If they weren't so iffy and expensive I'd probably have alot more.

Sue

Just beautiful, Sue. Your great photo shows why they are worth the challenge. Above posts indicate they do want to be dry in summer but I don't know about shade. Most bulbs want full sun, always a problem for me, gardening in the forest primeval. Does the foliage die back like other bulbs? How long does that take?

Sue, thank you so much for that wonderful shot.

I hadn't realized that the foliage was so curly! they really are sumptuous... what variety are they? the ones that come immediately to my mind's eye are not yellow, they're red.

Do you have issues with those miserable little red beetles?

Ginny, yes, the foliage on these does die back like most other bulbs but I really haven't paid attention to the time frame. I want to say it doesn't take as long as daffodils.

Chelone, I don't know if these are a variety. I think they only come in yellow, orange and maybe red. If I get more they will probably be orange like the ones George has because I've got this orange thing going on in the garden now. So far I don't have lily leaf beetles but they are in CT so it's probably only a matter of time :(.

Sue

Does anyone know what's going on here?

I was given a whole bunch of bulbs the year before last. I planted them and they all came up like the one shown on the right in this picture and none of them bloomed.
This year, most of them came up looking like the one to the left. They are quite healthy looking and are getting quite large now, but no sign of a flower. On pictures I've seen, that flower emerges quite early.
Does this seem right to you?

Are you sure it's a crown imperial? Can you post a photo of this when the leaves have unfurled? I would also suggest fertilizing with a bulb fertilizer to encourage bloom, whatever it is. And is it getting full sun?

Hey, Sue- How tall are those? Did they get taller each year? Mine are getting ready to bloom, but they're not much taller than a foot, I'd guess. Cute, but I thought they were supposed to be more 'stately' like yours are.

I've got 2 reds and 2 yellows in here, by the way, so will def. post pic when in bloom.

Oh, and another thing, I bought my bulbs on clearance last year at Agway for $3.50 each. No WAY was I going to pay what Park's wanted (12.99), and even at regular price here ($6.50) that was too high, but since they were the only 4 left, I splurged at 1/2-off.

Now to convince myself to buy the trailing yellow begonias...(1.99 each- HA!)

Chris, the plant on the left looks like either an Allium of some sort or surprise lily-Lycoris squamigera.

The Frits are about 30-36" tall. They haven't been getting taller every year but fading somewhat. If you bought your bulbs on clearance that may be why they're not as vigorous. I've remember reading somewhere, as George said above, that you need to plant these ASAP in the fall while they're fresh. One year I did plant some clearance bulbs late in the fall in approximately the same spot as these and they never came up at all.

Sue

sedum37, any bulbs you bring into the US need to have a special certificate affixed to them. Not all bulbs you buy in Amsterdam have these certs but most do.

This thread has a lot of useful info so I decided to post here instead of starting a new one.

I am so excited!! Tho bulb #2 never showed up last year, the one that did bloom so beautifully, and for quite a long time, is up again this year. No mulch or special treatment. It is in a very dry, sunny spot. Best of all, it looks like a tiny shrub with four bushy stems. It's now about a foot high and I'm hoping I'll get four flowers this year. Considering I bought these at Thanksgiving 05 and planted them in December, that's great luck. I think I'll definitely try a few more of these in the fall.

i have just begun to plant crowns and they came up real great.. i am so pleased...i live in north eastern new york state ,,3 miles south of lake ontario and the winters here are real bad...i planted my crowns 14 inchs in the ground and they came up...now i would like to know when do i cut the dead branchs off the plants when the growing season is over...what do i do,,,i am grateful of your response

Just cut off the dead flowers only when they have gone by. Then let the foliage live until it too turns yellow and "dies". Cut it back to the ground. Just like daffodils and tulips.

My crown imperial is, as noted above, bigger and lusher than last year but I don't see any flower buds. :( Guess I'll have to wait another year for the bulb to build up strength again.

Does anyone know if voles and chipmunks eat crown imperial bulbs, as they do so many other things?

Ginny,
nobody would even attempt to eat frit bulbs, they are stinky.
In that respect some sources recommend to use them as a vole/mole/squirrel deterrent for the more succeptible to animal's damage bulbs.

That said, ALL my frits except three sorrow looking F. persica had no show this year. So much for knowing a lot about them. Darn!

Thanks, George. That is rotten luck for you--maybe all the rain last spring got them. Hope you have better luck with the next batch.

Help!
My crowns refuse to grow. The first year they bloomed, then the second they barely came up. I dug the bulb up and found that it had divided into numerous smaller bulbs. I replanted these in several locations (granted not fully sunny) and only a few inches of very weak stem and leaves appears, then quickly yellows and dies back. Is this due mainly to the soil (it isn't that well drained but certainly not soggy) or to the shady site, or what?
Grateful for any advice!!

I am afraid that they hate shade and also moist soil. I think you'll have to move them to a full-sun, very dry place to have any hope of success. And they are still probably too small to do much. Sorry to give such bad news.

I tried to grow Fritillaria acmopetala in full sun and was disappointed some animal ate the foliage down to the ground before anything bloomed. I guess critters don't eat the bulbs but the foliage that is another story!

Sue

Two off-topic items. It was fun reading this old thread and seeing AsaramGreenPanda, who I still miss!

Second, only slightly less off topic, my Fritillaria meleagris (Checkered Lily) clumps are blooming their fool heads off now, and though it certainly doesn't compare with Crown Imperial (isn't that also a car?) I would not want to garden without this little bulb. I was googling it to check the spelling and came across this:

"On sunless days in winter, we shall know
By whom the silver gossamer is spun,
Who paints the diapered fritillaries,
On what wide wings from shivering pine to pine the eagle flies."
-Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
When Oscar Wilde speaks of "the diapered fritillary,' he means the little Checkered Lily (Fritillaria meleagris) ...

on the link below, and it was just too sweet to keep to myself.

Here are mine, a couple of years ago. Now that I have a better digital camera, the USB port on my desktop has failed, so I can't get to this year's garden photos. Can't win, technology always has me beat.

{{gwi:1097838}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Checkered Lily at Paghat's Garden

I was excited to drive down the driveway a few minutes ago and to see these up about four inches. Couldn't wait to post here and then I remembered this old thread, still full of good info and some lovely photos. And some reminders of friends here whom we miss.

I wanted to plant more last fall but was having new siding and windows on that side of the house, with workmen tromping all over my garden, so...next fall. But even a few are a thrill to have. What's the report from the rest of you?

I would love some of those checkered lillies! I imagine those are planted in the fall. I saw a photo of them a few weeks ago, and I saw the official name in this thread. Geez. I have not noticed them for sale locally.

You know, I was just thinking about Sue/VTSkiers. Has she just stopped coming here to post? I'm pretty out of the loop, but I hope everything is ok with her.

And Chelone, too, although she popped in earlier this year on a post I saw. :-)

Great thread, I enjoyed it.