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beccabunga · 19-06-2009, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopher

In message , The Brownie
lid writes
Can anyone advise me.. I tried in vain to grow Snakes Head Fritillary years
ago when we lived in a different region. Heavy clay soil. Needles to to say
they didnt thrive. Now were in a Cumbria soil - and plenty of rain. Can I
grown this plant in pots, please, and what to do- what to avoid... Thanks

Marg

Hi Marg,

In Dorset we have pretty heavy clay or the green variety. We have been
quite successful in growing Snakes Head Fritillary in a small wildflower
meadow created at the end of our garden. And they're gradually spreading
- but never quickly enough. I also collect the seeds and broadcast them
over the areas I want the SHF to populate but it takes some 3 or so
years (I believe) for the plants to flowers from seed.

IIRC the best place to see a field of SHF in England is in Oxfordshire
and I believe it is a heavy clay soil. Regardless - don't give up.
They're beautiful plants to grow.

Good luck - I suspect some of the much better informed members of this
group will be along shortly with some practical tips :-))
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

They like clay, they like slight shade [ie not full sun all day], they like their feet damp but not wet. They can tolerate winter floods. The main Oxfordshire groups are both in river meadows.

Our best clump is in a border under a shrub, on the edge of a paved area, and it is seeding madly into all the available cracks.

I have not found that they appreciate pots at all!