Snake's Head Fritillaries

Hi Everyone,

I ordered a large amount of Snake's Head Fritillary bulbs back in April because there was a deal on. No specific delivery date or month was given just that they would arrive in good time for planting.
I thought that that 'good time' was about Oct-Now. Obviously they haven't arrived or I wouldn't be writing about it!

When is the best time/way to plant these bulbs?

Company ordered from was Thompson & Morgan. Not used them before but definitely heard of them, assumed they were reputable.

Grateful for any advice/tips.

Jess

"Jess N" wrote

Hi Everyone,

I ordered a large amount of Snake's Head Fritillary bulbs back in April
because there was a deal on. No specific delivery date or month was
given just that they would arrive in good time for planting.
I thought that that 'good time' was about Oct-Now. Obviously they
haven't arrived or I wouldn't be writing about it!

When is the best time/way to plant these bulbs?

Company ordered from was Thompson & Morgan. Not used them before but
definitely heard of them, assumed they were reputable.

Grateful for any advice/tips.

Used them for years and normally an OK firm to deal with but I have had one
occasion to moan about late delivery, sweet potato slips delivered so late
it made any chance of a crop doubtful.
Grew my own slips the following year from the bits I did get and still no
crop! Gave up with Sweet Potato outside in the UK.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

Originally Posted by Jess N

Hi Everyone,

I ordered a large amount of Snake's Head Fritillary bulbs back in April because there was a deal on. No specific delivery date or month was given just that they would arrive in good time for planting.
I thought that that 'good time' was about Oct-Now. Obviously they haven't arrived or I wouldn't be writing about it!

When is the best time/way to plant these bulbs?

Company ordered from was Thompson & Morgan. Not used them before but definitely heard of them, assumed they were reputable.

Grateful for any advice/tips.

Jess

T&M were at one time one of the best seed merchants. Sadly they have fallen off badly in the past decade and have expanded into plug plants and such. I stopped buying their seed some time back when either I had poor generation or what came up was not what was expected.

I would not myself buy bulbs or corms from them, however good the "offer"
but go to the specialist bulb growers for these. In any case with snakeshead fritillaries it is far better to wait till the spring, buy your plants in flower and then plant them "in the green". They usually set seed fairly freely. I have had good bargains from garden centres selling off potted flowering bulbs when the flowers are finished.

[quote=beccabunga;868747]T&M were at one time one of the best seed merchants. Sadly they have fallen off badly in the past decade and have expanded into plug plants and such. I stopped buying their seed some time back when either I had poor generation or what came up was not what was expected.

I would not myself buy bulbs or corms from them, however good the "offer"
but go to the specialist bulb growers for these. In any case with snakeshead fritillaries it is far better to wait till the spring, buy your plants in flower and then plant them "in the green". They usually set seed fairly freely. I have had good bargains from garden centres selling off potted flowering bulbs when the flowers are finished.

I will buy them 'in the green' next time then, that does sound more sensible.

In the mean time, if my bulbs do arrive soon does anyone know if it is in-time to plant them?

"Jess N" wrote in message
...

beccabunga;868747 Wrote:
T&M were at one time one of the best seed merchants. Sadly they have
fallen off badly in the past decade and have expanded into plug plants
and such. I stopped buying their seed some time back when either I had
poor generation or what came up was not what was expected.

I would not myself buy bulbs or corms from them, however good the
"offer"
but go to the specialist bulb growers for these. In any case with
snakeshead fritillaries it is far better to wait till the spring, buy
your plants in flower and then plant them "in the green". They usually
set seed fairly freely. I have had good bargains from garden centres
selling off potted flowering bulbs when the flowers are finished.

I will buy them 'in the green' next time then, that does sound more
sensible.

In the mean time, if my bulbs do arrive soon does anyone know if it is
in-time to plant them?


--
Jess N


Yes, you must plant them, Jess, and as soon as possible. Fritillaria
meleagris doesn't like to dry out - but don't drench them either. They
prefer a dampish field environment in the wild but, so long as you water
them in, they should be all right at this time of year. Mine, planted in
improved clay, do dry out very occasionally and seem to withstand this, but
would not like it for very long.

Spider

"Jess N" wrote in message
...

Hi Everyone,

I ordered a large amount of Snake's Head Fritillary bulbs back in April
because there was a deal on. No specific delivery date or month was
given just that they would arrive in good time for planting.
I thought that that 'good time' was about Oct-Now. Obviously they
haven't arrived or I wouldn't be writing about it!

When is the best time/way to plant these bulbs?

Company ordered from was Thompson & Morgan. Not used them before but
definitely heard of them, assumed they were reputable.

Grateful for any advice/tips.

Jess

Well T&M were around many moons ago and were one of only a few nurseries
that offered mail order and I guess they are still reputable.
Those bulbs should have been with you by now -so summats wrong. Noticed that
their website says delivery by End of September for Fritillaria meleagris
Mixed (Snake's Head). If you do get the bulbs there is still time to plant
them to ensure flowering next spring.

[quote=Jess N;868749]

Originally Posted by beccabunga

T&M were at one time one of the best seed merchants. Sadly they have fallen off badly in the past decade and have expanded into plug plants and such. I stopped buying their seed some time back when either I had poor generation or what came up was not what was expected.

I would not myself buy bulbs or corms from them, however good the "offer"
but go to the specialist bulb growers for these. In any case with snakeshead fritillaries it is far better to wait till the spring, buy your plants in flower and then plant them "in the green". They usually set seed fairly freely. I have had good bargains from garden centres selling off potted flowering bulbs when the flowers are finished.

I will buy them 'in the green' next time then, that does sound more sensible.

In the mean time, if my bulbs do arrive soon does anyone know if it is in-time to plant them?

Yes - the sooner the better.

[quote=beccabunga;868775]

Originally Posted by Jess N

Yes - the sooner the better.

I e-mailed them to ask what's going on and apparently the bulbs 'got lost in the post'!! Classic excuse! So they are sending them in September 2010!!

They are also sending me some Begonia Aromatics, 5 tubers for free. I'm not a huge Begonia fan but I suppose it makes up for it a bit. I did however notice that they have been giving them away for free with larger orders anyway!

I don't recommend Thompson & Morgan.

Thank you for tips/advice.

In article ,
says...

Hi Everyone,

I ordered a large amount of Snake's Head Fritillary bulbs back in April
because there was a deal on. No specific delivery date or month was
given just that they would arrive in good time for planting.
I thought that that 'good time' was about Oct-Now. Obviously they
haven't arrived or I wouldn't be writing about it!

When is the best time/way to plant these bulbs?

Company ordered from was Thompson & Morgan. Not used them before but
definitely heard of them, assumed they were reputable.

Grateful for any advice/tips.

Jess




--
Jess N

Don't plant them straight out (even if they had come back in september)
put them in pots and keep cool and just moist, when you see growth in the
spring plant them as pot fulls
NB protect pots from mice and voles)
effectively these are best planted in the green, the corms are cheap but
subject to a high loss rate
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Jess N wrote:
Hi Everyone,

I ordered a large amount of Snake's Head Fritillary bulbs back in April
because there was a deal on. No specific delivery date or month was
given just that they would arrive in good time for planting.
I thought that that 'good time' was about Oct-Now. Obviously they
haven't arrived or I wouldn't be writing about it!

When is the best time/way to plant these bulbs?

Company ordered from was Thompson & Morgan. Not used them before but
definitely heard of them, assumed they were reputable.

Grateful for any advice/tips.

Jess

Nothing to do with planting time, but be aware that Lily Beetle loves
Fritillaria meleagris! If you live in an area which has (or will soon have)
lily beetle, then as soon as they have finished with your lilies they will
start eating these.

--
Jeff

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
Jess N wrote:
Hi Everyone,

I ordered a large amount of Snake's Head Fritillary bulbs back in April
because there was a deal on. No specific delivery date or month was
given just that they would arrive in good time for planting.
I thought that that 'good time' was about Oct-Now. Obviously they
haven't arrived or I wouldn't be writing about it!

When is the best time/way to plant these bulbs?

Company ordered from was Thompson & Morgan. Not used them before but
definitely heard of them, assumed they were reputable.

Grateful for any advice/tips.

Jess

Nothing to do with planting time, but be aware that Lily Beetle loves
Fritillaria meleagris! If you live in an area which has (or will soon
have) lily beetle, then as soon as they have finished with your lilies
they will start eating these.

--
Jeff


Well I've had those scarlet blighters in Yorkshire for about 5 years and I
think they have spread to most parts of the UK now? I grow Fritillaria
imperialis because they appear just about the same time as the
Cardiocrinums. The beetles seem to prefer the Fritillaria, so with a daily
inspection I usually manage to catch and kill them over about a two week
period and then don't normally see them again till next year.
I just wish vine weevils were as easy to spot and kill:-(

On 2009-11-07 13:41:04 +0000, mollie38
said:


beccabunga;868748 Wrote:
We took out five conifers in a bed, and had the stumps ground out.
Afterwards I dug over the whole bed [18 x 8 feet] with homemade compost
and ericaceous compost - we wanted to grow some acid lovers. It was
allowed to settle over the winter before planting anything new, which
gave plenty of time to plan new plants.

You don't say what direction your fence faces. If you are planning
clematis, remember that they always grow and flower into the sun, so no
good if your fence faces a northerly or westerly direction - your
neighbours will benefit!

Work out how the wind affect the plot and start planning windbreaks -
small hardy shrubs or small trellises to interrupt the flow. Otherwise
your clematis will be blown off the fence.

Hi

Right I have posted 2 pics on tinypic of the patio area these were
taken just after the stumps had been removed by the stump grinder. We
have since had a new fence erected but havent been able to do much this
week with the rain hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, hubby is out
there at the moment removing most of the sandstone from the patio

here is the url for the pics
http://tinyurl.com/yzylhfb
http://tinyurl.com/ydz3jm8

Kind regards mary

It looks as if what ever you plant in front of the fence is going to
take up most of that space with its root system alone. If you do
decide to plant shrubs and not have climbers going up the fence, I'd
probably go for mixed planting if I were you because that will be a
good way to get colour there, rather than just one slab. Then you can
underplant with snow drops, English bluebells, daffodils, crocus,
cyclamen.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Originally Posted by Sacha[_4_]

On 2009-11-07 13:41:04 +0000, mollie38
said:


beccabunga;868748 Wrote:
We took out five conifers in a bed, and had the stumps ground out.
Afterwards I dug over the whole bed [18 x 8 feet] with homemade compost
and ericaceous compost - we wanted to grow some acid lovers. It was
allowed to settle over the winter before planting anything new, which
gave plenty of time to plan new plants.

You don't say what direction your fence faces. If you are planning
clematis, remember that they always grow and flower into the sun, so no
good if your fence faces a northerly or westerly direction - your
neighbours will benefit!

Work out how the wind affect the plot and start planning windbreaks -
small hardy shrubs or small trellises to interrupt the flow. Otherwise
your clematis will be blown off the fence.

Hi

Right I have posted 2 pics on tinypic of the patio area these were
taken just after the stumps had been removed by the stump grinder. We
have since had a new fence erected but havent been able to do much this
week with the rain hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, hubby is out
there at the moment removing most of the sandstone from the patio

here is the url for the pics
http://tinyurl.com/yzylhfb
http://tinyurl.com/ydz3jm8

Kind regards mary

It looks as if what ever you plant in front of the fence is going to
take up most of that space with its root system alone. If you do
decide to plant shrubs and not have climbers going up the fence, I'd
probably go for mixed planting if I were you because that will be a
good way to get colour there, rather than just one slab. Then you can
underplant with snow drops, English bluebells, daffodils, crocus,
cyclamen.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

I think this is not to do with fritilllaries, but with 21 foot fences!

On 2009-11-09 20:20:57 +0000, beccabunga
said:


'Sacha[_4_ Wrote:
;868989']On 2009-11-07 13:41:04 +0000, mollie38
said:
-

beccabunga;868748 Wrote:-
We took out five conifers in a bed, and had the stumps ground out.
Afterwards I dug over the whole bed [18 x 8 feet] with homemade
compost
and ericaceous compost - we wanted to grow some acid lovers. It was
allowed to settle over the winter before planting anything new, which
gave plenty of time to plan new plants.

You don't say what direction your fence faces. If you are planning
clematis, remember that they always grow and flower into the sun, so
no
good if your fence faces a northerly or westerly direction - your
neighbours will benefit!

Work out how the wind affect the plot and start planning windbreaks -
small hardy shrubs or small trellises to interrupt the flow.
Otherwise
your clematis will be blown off the fence.-

Hi

Right I have posted 2 pics on tinypic of the patio area these were
taken just after the stumps had been removed by the stump grinder.
We
have since had a new fence erected but havent been able to do much
this
week with the rain hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, hubby is
out
there at the moment removing most of the sandstone from the patio

here is the url for the pics
http://tinyurl.com/yzylhfb
http://tinyurl.com/ydz3jm8

Kind regards mary-

It looks as if what ever you plant in front of the fence is going to
take up most of that space with its root system alone. If you do
decide to plant shrubs and not have climbers going up the fence, I'd
probably go for mixed planting if I were you because that will be a
good way to get colour there, rather than just one slab. Then you can

underplant with snow drops, English bluebells, daffodils, crocus,
cyclamen.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

I think this is not to do with fritilllaries, but with 21 foot fences!

Yes, this was Mollie's first attempt at uploading photos and she knows
they landed a bit awkwardly. ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon