Fritillaria Red Beauty - Crown Imperial

Fritillaria 'Red Beauty', The Crown Imperial That Commands Attention

There are spring bulbs that add color to a garden, and then there are spring bulbs that make people stop walking and ask "what is that?" Fritillaria 'Red Beauty' is firmly in the second category. This is a Crown Imperial, one of the oldest and most dramatic flowering bulbs in cultivation. A single stem shoots straight up to around three feet, ringed with glossy lance-shaped leaves in the lower half, then bare in the upper half, before ending in something that looks like it was designed for a botanical illustration: a ring of pendant, bell-shaped flowers in deep scarlet red, topped by a tuft of green foliage like a pineapple's crown. Each nodding bell hangs downward, and inside each one sits a glistening drop of nectar, something Persian folklore called the flower's tears, a reference to ancient legends that have followed this plant for centuries. What makes 'Red Beauty' stand apart from other Crown Imperials is the color. Most red-labeled fritillarias lean orange. This one is genuinely, deeply red, scarlet bells on dark, near-black stems with foliage that carries a red tinge too. The whole plant has a richness and intensity that looks almost unreal in early spring, when most of the garden is still soft and pastel. It's been in cultivation since the 16th century, when the Flemish botanist Carolus Clusius first planted Crown Imperials in his botanical gardens at Leiden. From there they spread through European gardens and eventually appeared in Dutch Golden Age paintings, where they were a symbol of wealth and imperial power. Four centuries later, the plant still carries that same presence. A Few Things Worth Knowing The bulbs have a distinctive musky smell, strong enough to deter deer, moles, voles, and squirrels. This is one of the genuine advantages of growing fritillaria: once it's in the ground, wildlife tends to give the whole area a wide berth. The flowers are also pollinator-friendly, producing generous amounts of nectar that bees and hummingbirds seek out early in the season when not much else is in bloom. One planting tip that matters: plant the bulbs on their sides. The large, fleshy bulbs have a hollow center cavity where the previous year's stem emerged, and if planted upright, water can collect there and cause rot. Tipping them at an angle solves the problem entirely. After blooming, the foliage dies back relatively quickly. It's worth planting 'Red Beauty' alongside later-emerging perennials or ornamental grasses that can fill in once the fritillaria goes dormant for summer.

What You're Getting
Fritillaria imperialis 'Red Beauty' bulbs, ready to plant in fall for mid-spring blooms.

Quick Facts  
Botanical name: Fritillaria imperialis 'Red Beauty'
Common name: Crown Imperial
Color: Deep scarlet red with dark stems and red-tinged foliage
Bloom time: Early-Mid spring
Height: 30-36 inches
Hardiness: USDA Zones 5-8 
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Deer, mole & rodent resistant: Yes
Pollinator friendly: Yes  

Planting Tips
Plant in fall in well-drained, fertile soil. Aim for about 6 inches deep, and plant the bulbs on their sides to prevent water pooling in the cavity. Space them about 12 inches apart. Full sun produces the strongest stems and most prolific blooms, though they'll handle a bit of afternoon shade. Once established, leave them undisturbed, Crown Imperials bloom best when they're not regularly dug up and moved. A good spring feed when shoots emerge will keep them vigorous and flowering reliably year after year.