Checkerboardis a type of extremely interesting bulbous perennials with beautiful bell-shaped flowers, occurring in a huge range of colors, often spotted or checkered. Among the checkerboards you will find beauties such asimperial crown , which are worth having in your garden not only because of their decorative qualities, but also to deter some plant pests. Get to know the most interestingspecies and varieties of checkerboardsand see what the correctcultivation of checkerboards in the garden looks like
Diced checkerboard - Fritillaria meleagris
Checkerboard - species and varieties
Szachownica(Fritillaria) is a genus of plants belonging to the lily family, with over 100 species found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. We can enjoy their flowers from spring to summer. There are both low plants, which look good in groups on the front part of the flowerbed and in the rock garden, as well as very impressivetall species of imperial checkerboards , which can be planted in well-exposed places as solitaire or in in groups, e.g. against a lawn.
" Latin name for the genus Fritillariameans a dice cup, reflecting the shape of the flowers of these plants. In turn, the name Polish chessboard refers to the chessboard (Fritillaria meleagris), the only species found in the wild in our country and under strict protection. Its flowers are colored in a checkered pattern, resembling a chess board."
The diced checkerboard(Fritillaria meleagris) is quite delicate and reaches a height of 20 to 30 cm. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, gray-green. Its slender stems develop bell-shaped flowers (usually one per stem, rarely two), most often pinkish-purple with a distinct dark purple check. Two snow-white varieties of this species are missing: 'Alba' and 'Aprodite', the latter of which is slightly larger and is slightly greenish in color. We can enjoy the dice chessboard flowers from April to May.
Diced checkerboard on a discount with narcissists
In the wild,unlike other chessboards, this species occurs mainly in wetlands- in wet meadows, thickets, low peat bogs and swamps. In garden cultivation, this plant feels best near ponds and streams, where we can plant it in the vicinity of other moisture-loving plants, such as funkia, garden ferns or monkweed.
Imperial checkerboard 'Aurora'
Imperial checkerboard(Fritillaria imperialis), also known as the imperial crown, is a completely different, very tall and much more magnificent plant. The imperial crown can reach over 1.5 m in height. At the top of a huge, stiff stem of the Imperial chessboard is an impressive inflorescence, composed of a ring of large, bell-shaped flowers crowned with a crown of protruding leaves. the largest selection of garden varieties is among the imperial checkerboards
The flowers are usually dark orange as in the 'Aurora' variety, red as in the 'Rubra Maxima' variety or yellow as in the 'Black Stam' and 'Lutea' varieties. My favorite varieties are the imperial chessboard 'Aurora' (its petals are slightly ribbed) and the imperial checkerboard 'Lutea' (the flowers are pure yellow, also with yellow stamens).
Imperial crown 'Lutea'
For those looking for the most original imperial checkerboards, I recommend theimperial crown 'Aureomarginata' , which, apart from orange-red flowers, is also decorated with dark green leaves with cream stripes. Leaves in this color appear both at the bottom of the stem and above the inflorescence. Therefore, it is impossible not to pay attention to them. In addition to being ornamental,imperial checkerboards give off a scent that repels volesand other rodents that can harm your garden. This is another reason why it is worth planting these plants in garden beds.
Michałowski's chessboard - Fritillaria michailovskyi
Michałowski's chessboard(Fritillaria michajlovskyi) is a small plant, reaching up to 15 cm in height. It creates very charming two-color flowers.At the base they are dark purple, and closer to the tops they are dark yellow. This chessboard species is native to the mountains of northwestern Turkey and was not discovered until 1914 during an English scientific expedition.
Persian checkerboard(Fritillaria persica) is another interesting species, the flowers of which may surprise people who previously only knew dice and imperial checkerboards. The shoots of the Persian checkerboard, up to 80 cm in height, are crowned with tall inflorescences composed of numerous clusters of dark purple conical flowers. Among thegarden varieties of the Persian checkerboard , the Persian checkerboard 'Ivory Bells' with green-cream flowers and the Persian checkerboard 'Alba' with the flowers of white-green are available.
Persian checkerboard 'Ivory Bells'
Among the less common chessboards, theElwes checkerboard(Fritillaria elwesii) with exceptionally narrow green-purple flowers andpyramidal chessboard(Fritillaria acmopetala ), whose bell-shaped flowers consist of 3 light green petals of an outer whorl and 3 purple-brown petals of an inner whorl.These two-colored bells hang singly or 2-3 times on shoots covered with narrow, gray-green, lanceolate leaves. The plant grows up to 60 cm in height. This is one of the easiest chessboards to cultivate.
Pyramidal checkerboard - Fritillaria acmopetala
Checkerboard, imperial crown - planting and cultivation
Most of the plants of the chessboard genus grow in the wild in steppe areas and on rocky hills. In garden cultivationcheckerboards require permeable soils and a lot of sunThe exception is the already mentioned cube-shaped checkerboard, which prefers moist soils.
Checkerboard bulbs are planted in late August or early SeptemberThe planting depth depends on the size of the bulbs. As they are different for individual species, it is worth adopting the rule thatcheckerboard bulbs are planted at a depth equal to three times their height Before planting, a 2-3 cm layer of coarse sand or gravel drainage should be prepared for the bulbs of the imperial and Persian checkerboards. The bulbs of these plants rot quite easily and drainage will protect them from excess moisture. Before winter comes,the place where the checkerboards are planted should be covered with bark or leaf mulchand covered with spruce branches.
Diced checkerboard - Fritillaria meleagris
In the spring it is beneficialwatering and fertilizing checkerboardsThe soil around the plants is watered when it is dry, and the dose of fertilizer is given when the plants start growing. For the lower species, a multi-component fertilizer is used, usually in the amount of 20g of fertilizer per 1m², and for taller species - 30g / m², which ensures he althy plant development and nice flowering.
In the case of the imperial crowncultivation, it may happen that under the influence of frosts, young, sprouting shoots may bend and lay on the ground.Fortunately, on a sunny day, the stems straighten again. We can prevent the possible breaking of plants by tying them to the stakes.
In June, the above-ground part of the plant checkerboard dries up . Then watering should be limited, and in the case of Persian and Michałowski checkerboards, watering should be stopped almost completely. It is not necessary to dig out the bulbs, they can spend several years in one place.
Checkerboard, imperial crown - reproduction
Once every 3-4 years, the bulbs can be dug up and multiplied.Division of bulbs is the basic method of checkerboard reproduction in amateur cultivationDug out bulbs need to be dried for a few days, and then cleaned of the remains of soil, dried roots and shoots. Then the adventitious bulbs are separated. They can be planted in a new place immediately or, covered with sawdust or peat, stored until August in a dry, airy room.
