Rediscover fritillaries: problem child or a charming plant with nodding flowers?

摘要

In her classic book Adventures with Small Bulbs, Louise Beebe Wilder declared, "Fritillaria is the problem child of the Lily family." Many gardeners tend to agree. To some, fritillaries are too garish, or too grim. They're expensive. They smell bad.Common names like leper's bell or snake's-head fritillary send a chill up your spine. These poor relatives of the lily are maligned even in myth. According to folklore, as Christ marched to his betrayal at Gethsemane, all the flowers bowed their heads,except the crown imperial, which vainly held its white blooms high. Afterwards, in eternal penance, the flowers blushed a ruddy orange and hung their heads in shame. I think fritillaries, far from being problem children, are just misunderstood. I've discovered four fine members of the clan that can brighten any garden. Two are large, and two are small. Each is carefree and hardy enough to plant in most of North America. They're also tough enough to sneer at summer drought--in fact, they love it. Even their odor has an upside; it's reputed to deter squirrels and other voracious critters.