Fritillaria imperialis Tchaikovsky

Fritillaria imperialis 'Tchaikovsky', or Crown Imperial, is a new cultivar with short black stems, adorned with salmon-orange bell-shaped flowers. It withstands wind well and does not require staking.

This plant produces a spectacular crown of flowers in April, standing on a straight black stem. The umbels are composed of 3 to 8 flowers and measure 2 to 6cm (1 to 2in) long. These campanulate (bell-shaped) flowers are salmon-orange with white stamens. At the base of each of the six tepals that make up a flower, there is a nectary that secretes drops of nectar.

Its deciduous foliage consists of lanceolate (lance-shaped) leaves, 7 to 20cm (3 to 8in) long. The foliage is light green. This new selection has a short stem, making it less susceptible to wind.

The bulb of this perennial is toxic and emits an unpleasant odour that repels rodents. It is often used in sunny flower beds and rock gardens. It looks beautiful in the middle of a small flower bed. It can also be grown in pots.

Discovered in 1580, it is said to have already been cultivated in the gardens of the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent. In the 17th century, it became the subject of fierce competitions among collectors who fought over it. In the past, the Crown Imperial was called Tears of Mary. Its Persian name "gole achke" means "the weeping flower".