The imperial crown (Fritillaria imperialis) looks impressive as a single specimen, but the flower bed only gets its most splendid color when it is grouped with several plants. You can not only purchase the plant material required for this from specialist retailers, but also obtain it through your own propagation efforts.
How can the imperial crown be propagated?
The imperial crown can be propagated by seeds or bulbs. Seeds take 3-6 years to flower and require a cold period. Onions independently form breeding or daughter bulbs that can be transplanted during the main planting season.
The propagation of the imperial crown: bulbs or seeds
As a rule, imperial crowns are planted in the garden using onions, which are available in many different subspecies from specialist retailers, as these lead to an initial, successful flowering period more quickly than seeds. If the imperial crowns are successfully established in a location, the easy-care and winter-hardy plants spread through self-sowing without much effort. If you want to sow the imperial crown yourself, you must not cut off the wilted inflorescences before the seeds are ripe.
Growing seeds in the pot
If you specifically want to grow imperial crowns from seeds in pots or grow certain varieties separately, then you can harvest the seeds by hand and sow them in a controlled manner. However, when growing imperial crowns from seeds, depending on the variety, it sometimes takes between three and six years for the first inflorescences to form. When growing from seeds, please note:
- to stratify the seeds or subject them to a cold period
- to keep the sowing soil sufficiently moist during the germination phase
- Always use the seeds as fresh as possible
Propagate the imperial crown by transplanting the bulbs
Even below the surface of the earth, the imperial crown ensures a numerical increase over the years by forming so-called breeding or daughter onions around the main bulbs. You can carefully dig these up during the main planting season from July to September and replant them in a new location at a depth of around 20 to 30 centimeters. If you have several specimens in the garden, you should only use this propagation method every year, as the transplanted specimens may not bloom again the following year.
Tips & Tricks
Since most subspecies of the imperial crown are relatively self-sterile, you should plant different species next to each other if you intend to propagate them from the seeds they form.
