Fritillaria raddeana Seeds , FLOWERING PLANT

FRITILLARIA RADDEANA ,A rare and unusual fritillaria,creamy-yellow flowers,grows well in sun or partial shade and is utterly reliable

The Fritillaria family has some of the worlds most gorgeous looking flowering plants and FRITILLARIA RADDEANA is no exception.
A rare and unusual species, smaller than, but similar in appearance to, the crown imperials. It's quite robust and fully hardy, and will delight you with its lovely pale creamy-yellow flowers, which are set off beautifully against the whorls of rich green leaves. Flowers April-May. Height 30cm.
Detailed Description
A stunningly beautiful plant with tall stems to 40cm topped with a crowded whorl of bright straw yellow, although some say lichen-green, flowers in March/April. With a striking resemblance to a "Crown Imperial Fritillary" this stately plant can take your breath away on first encounter. It grows well in sun or partial shade and is utterly reliable, increasing yearly in good soil.
SOWING ADVICE:
SOW SEEDS AT ANY TIME COVERING THEM WITH COMPOST OR GRIT 5MM DEEP, KEEPING THE SEED POT IN A COOL, WELL-LIT SPOT OUTDOORS. ARTIFICIAL HEAT IS NOT NEEDED AND PREVENT GERMINATION SO BE VERY PATIENT AS MANY SPECIES WILL ONLY GERMINATE IN THE SPRING AFTER CHILLING OR FREEZING IN THE MOIST SEED TRAY IN THE WINTER. GROW ON INDIVIDUAL SEEDLINGS IN SMALL POTS UNTIL OF SUFFICIENT SIZE TO BE POTTED ON OR PLANTED OUT INTO THE OPEN GROUND.

Sowing: Sow March to September or October to February.
Seeds need a period of cold to germinate. They can be left outdoors to go through the seasons naturally or germination hastened by “stratification” (imitating the seasons)

Sowing March to September.
Hastening germination by using stratification. Sow seed compost or something similar, place each container in a polythene bag and put into the refrigerator (not the freezer compartment) for 2-3 weeks.
After this time place the containers outside in a cold frame or plunge them up to the rims in a shady part of the garden border and cover with glass or clear plastic.
Some of the seeds may germinate during the spring and summer and these should be transplanted when large enough to handle. The remainder of the seeds may lay dormant until next spring. Germination is irregular often over several months. As each seed germinates transplant it almost immediately into its own pot.

Sowing October to February.
Sow the seeds compost, covering them with a thin layer of compost. After watering, place the seed container outside against a North wall or in a cold frame, making sure they are protected against mice, and leave them there until the spring.
The compost should be kept moist but not wet at all times, if the seed containers are out in the open then some shelter has to be given against excessive rain.
In the spring bring the seed containers into the greenhouse or indoors on to a well lit but not sunny windowsill and keep the compost moist. This should trigger off germination. If the seeds do not germinate in the spring keep them in cool moist conditions throughout the summer.

Prick out each seedling as it becomes large enough to handle, transplant into 7.5cm (3in) pots or trays to grow on. Plant out in spring into well drained soil. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10 to 15 days before planting out.

Cultivation:
Grows well in most fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soils and prefers cool, moist summers. Divide offsets, or collect and sow ‘rice-grain’ bulbils in late summer. Handle the fragile bulbs carefully and plant at four times own depth.

Plant Uses:
Cottage/Informal Garden, Flowers Borders and Beds, Rock Garden or Wildflower Gardens. Suitable for rock garden, raised bed or naturalising in grass

Materials: seed,flowers,FRITILLARIA RADDEANA