Fritillaria Meleagris

A few years back, I got into a kick where I focused on planting flowers with literary associations; this one is Shakespearean and very satisfying to grow, even though I only have moderate success with it. "By this the boy that by her side lay killed Was melted like vapour from her sight, And in his blood that on the ground lay spilled A purple flower sprung up, checkered with white, Resembling well his pale cheeks and the blood which in round drops upon their whiteness stood." VENUS & ADO...

After moving back to Upper Manhattan, I knew I made the right choice when I saw these growing in Fort Tryon. Absolute favorite.

Though I have a relatively low success rate with these (3 or 4 flowers for every dozen bulbs planted), they are basically my favorite flowers, period. Checkerboard pattern? Nature is indeed amazing!