A bulbous perennial to 30cm in height, with lance-shaped, greyish-green leaves and 1-2 nodding, bell-shaped purple flowers, the tepals tessellated with pale pink in a checkerboard fashion.
Snake’s head Fritillary seeds should be sown in trays of compost in autumn. The trays should be left outside in a cold frame or covered with glass, and kept moist. After germinating, the seedlings can be pricked out and grown on and raised in pots. Fritillary seeds will take several years to reach flowering sized plants when they can be moved into their permant planting positions.