It was when he spent a year living in Walberswick, Suffolk that he first saw them growing and where he did his painting
Snakeshead fritallaries are classic hay meadow flowers which have suffered as a result of modern agricultural methods and no longer survive in the quantities that they did. However, there is a meadow close to us that is occupied by 80% of the wild fritillaries in this country, a meadow which has always been treated traditionally. The meadow is in C9th Saxon town Cricklade lying beside the infant river Thames. Although my fritillaries are nearly over, the meadow ones tend to flower much later and will be coming into bloom in a couple of weeks until the end of the month.
If you are travelling in southern Oxfordshire and would like to see them you can find more information here.
Hello Rosemary, Congratulations on your beautiful fritillaries, which are thriving so well. I used to watch the wildflowers in the U.S., but have never seen a pattern like this, although the white ones also have their own special quality.
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Hello Jim - every year they are a pleasure to see
DeleteYour spring flowers look so happy! I have only seen photos of Fritillaries. They are the perfect material for fairy skirts. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI agree Catherine - they would make pretty skirts for girl fairies, and also cute little hats for boy fairies.
DeleteWhat a lovely flower and one I'm not familiar with at all.
ReplyDeleteThey are picky little flowers as to where they will and will not flourish, but luckily they like our Cotswold garden.
DeleteWauu... all these flowers make the spring. Your photos are always so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour comments are always extremely generous - thank you very much♡
DeleteThese are so beautiful Rosemary - I'm familiar with them but have never seen them growing in local gardens.
ReplyDeleteGlad your milder winter helped bring an amazingly pretty Springtime to the always lovely Cotswolds.
Hugs - Mary
Dear Mary - I don't think that they grow in the States - mainly parts of Europe that have similar conditions as we have here - they are particularly happy growing in the Cotswolds which I am happy about. Take care dear Mary♡
DeleteSo beautiful, Rosemary! I love your Fritillaries and I can understand well, why you love them. Happy gardening and new week! We still have a little snow.
ReplyDeleteDear Satu - hope that your snow soon goes on its way for you - is it unusual for you to still have snow at this time of year?
DeleteThey thrive for me but get eaten before they even manage to open a bloom. Pheasants adore them. A few years ago I bought a tray of plants from the local nursery, about £20 worth as I recall, and left the tray outside the kitchen door whilst I went to change into gardening gear. When I returned just a few minutes later only the stalks remained.
ReplyDeleteOh dear! I have mine inside a circle of box hedging which probably helps to protect them but makes it difficult for me to photograph them. I have to watch out for the red lily beetle who likes to eat the blooms and also any stray snails are partial to the flowers too.
DeleteWonderful, Rosemary. Your fritillaries look beautiful - I am merely a garden labourer and had never heard of them until Mrs B introduced us; they are so delicate and graceful. Rusty Duck's right about pheasants - the little tinkers decimated ours the year before last. I saw a bunch (if that's the right collective noun) of ritillaries at Nymans, a NT gardfen in Sussex, just last week. Gorgeous. they had been planted amongst daffodils in grass, between trees - looked super.
ReplyDeleteThat is the way to grow them they like the companion of grasses around them.
DeleteWhat a lovely introduction to spring-those fritillaries really lift the spirits. The snakeshead is not indigenous to Canada but we have others, one of which has seeds heads used like wild rice. I'm a fan of the design work of CRM. I had no idea about his year in Walberswick which is a village very close to my home town. On my next trip home I'll do a little investigating.
ReplyDeleteIt was a sad period of CRM's life - he had left Scotland because he could not make enough money there and then things did not improve in Walberwick so he moved to southern France where he died in Port-Vendres.
DeleteSuch dainty flowers. I can imagine how much you look forward to them and the beautiful daffodils, each Spring.
ReplyDeleteBecause they look like grasses first of all you don't notice them and then suddenly one morning you become aware that they are blooming once again - lovely
DeleteHi Rosemary, how nice that the spring bloomer are doing so well this year in your neck of the woods. I love Fritillarias as well, but have never seen them in reality only on photos. Yours are totally stunning like pieces of art.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful week with nice spring weather to enjoy the outdoors!
Warm regards,
Christina
I can still remember the first time that I first saw them growing and was charmed by them
DeleteMarvelous your bulbs are doing much better than previous year.
ReplyDeleteEver so pretty.
I think that the flowers have enjoyed having a mild winter Margaret
DeleteThose snakeshead fritillaries remind me of a pair of trousers I had in the 80s.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine what they looked like
DeleteSuch a wonderful quantity of this beautiful Spring flower , gorgeous sight !
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DeleteStunning plant I've always admired but not so common up here.
ReplyDeleteI think that the very first one that I ever saw was CRM's fritillary painting when we lived in Glasgow.
DeleteYour garden must be beautiful to wander round! The fritillaries are incredible aren't they, how does nature come up with a plant that has checks! Amazing.
ReplyDeleteI agree Amy - they are unbelieveable little flowers - love them
DeleteI have enjoyed seeing your Fritillarias every spring, you have had a wonderful display this year. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteSpring is so wonderful - I love it
DeleteHi Rosemary, I've just been catching up with some of your posts. I love your blog so much, I know I don't comment often but you share so many interesting things and your photos are beautiful. I have a set of Mackintosh Flowers note cards and the fritillaries is one of the designs in the set. I was so glad to see the artwork here. I have had the cards for many years and I use them sparingly because I've never seen another set as nice as this, the cards are printed on heavy, glossy paper and they're really large. I hope you have a lovely Easter!
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear from you Jennifer - delighted that you know Mackintosh's lovely paintings which are not so well known as his furniture and architecture designs. I fell in love with his work when we were first married and lived in Glasgow.
DeleteWhy don't you keep the cards you have left, have them framed and hang them on your own walls?
Salve a primavera, uma bela e alegre estação. Por aqui, no Brasil, estamos no outono, estação que acho muito bonita, pela cores que enfeitam a natureza.
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