From early May through October 31, items shipping from our garden seeds warehouse ship twice a week, usually Tuesday and Thursday. For quickest turnaround time order online by noon Monday or Wednesday.
Items shipping from our growing supplies warehouse take 7-10 business days to process.
Vibrant clusters of orange-red inverted bell-shaped flowers, 2–3" long, hang from a peculiar leafy crown atop a tall spike, hence this species’ common name Crown Imperial. Large basal whorl of glossy leaves.
Plant the bulb sideways to prevent crown rot. Long-lived if left undisturbed in a good planting site. Prefers full sun and rich well-drained soil high in organic matter—it’s a heavy feeder. Critter resistant. In cultivation since 1500s, native from northern India to Iran.
Items from our perennial plants warehouse will ship around September 30 through October. Bulbs can be planted successfully up until your ground freezes.
Note to Alaska and far north customers: We cannot guarantee an early shipment, so please plan accordingly and order early.
We cannot accommodate specific ship date requests or guarantee your order will arrive by a certain day.
Additional Information
Mission Bells Fritillaria
Bell-like flowers in a variety of colors and sizes, often with the subtle checkered pattern that gives rise to the name of the genus (fritillus is a dice-box, in Latin).
Novelties and Specialties
The Royal General Bulbgrowers Association in Holland (Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur, or KAVB) puts this large group of diverse flowers into a boring catch-all category: Miscellaneous Bulbs. The expensive catalogs call them accent bulbs; some call them minor or dwarf bulbs (even though some of the fritillaries are huge!); Louise Beebe Wilder covered most of them in her 1936 classic Adventures with Hardy Bulbs. Whatever you call them, most are sweet, colorful, and completely welcome in spring.
