I am going to join in with Dawn’s Festival of Spring which will last for 10 -12 weeks in celebration of this season and share something that is happening in or around my neighbourhood each week.

Back in 2019 I planted several Fritillaria meleagris bulbs into what was a small triangular patch of lawn which I allowed to grow. These bulbs prefer a moist location and this area is totally in shade throughout the winter months and for much of the day even in summer.

Its common names include snake’s head fritillary, snake’s head (the original English name), chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily (because its shape resembled the bell once carried by lepers), Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in the British Isles, simply fritillary.

I was pleased to see some flowers appear in the spring of 2020 and 2021, but the grass didn’t work well as it became very messy over the summer and difficult to mow, so I removed it and replaced it with pebbles, unsure as to whether the bulbs would come through last year. They did and this year are even better than ever.