When to plant and prune Snake's head fritillary
Snake's head fritillary flowers from early April to early May and the dates below cover planting and flowering.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Snake's head fritillary is timed from the average frost dates, so its timings shift across the UK. Plot works them out from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early October to late November | early April to early May |
| South Coast and Channel | late September to mid November | early April to early May |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early October to late November | early April to early May |
| South East and Home Counties | mid September to late October | early April to early May |
| East Anglia | early September to late October | early April to early May |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early September to late October | early April to early May |
| Wales and West Coast | mid September to early November | early April to early May |
| Northern England | late August to mid October | early April to early May |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late August to early October | early April to early May |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early August to mid September | early April to early May |
| Northern Ireland | mid September to late October | early April to early May |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early October to late November | early April to early May |
Growing notes
Depth: plant at about four times the bulb's own depth (roughly 8-12cm) and handle the fragile, soft bulbs carefully - they dry out and bruise easily. Best in damp meadow grass; it dislikes soil that bakes dry in summer.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 10 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 30 cm
- Eventual spread
- 8 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 5 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Pruning group
No pruning required; leave foliage and seedheads to die back so colonies can self-seed
What usually goes wrong
- slugs and snails
- red lily beetle
- bulbs drying out before planting
- failure in soil that dries out in summer
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for snake's head fritillary.