WHEN Fritillaria imperialis first arrived in Vienna, in 1576, it caused a sensation. As part of the first wave into Europe of unfamiliar plants from Constantinople, it soon spread throughout the gardens of the Continent. At 3ft tall, with brightly coloured flowers that have an unruly topknot of leaves, it is easy to imagine how thrilling its appearance must have been. It featured in many paintings of the period and a still life of 1626 by Johannes Bosschaert famously shows an enormous Fritillaria imperialis dominating the canvas, overshadowing all the fancy tulips, anemones and other exotic plants that were exciting collectors of the time. Clearly, he considered the crown imperial, as it became known, to be supreme. It remains, today, a dramatic presence, still capable of producing gasps of wonder.
Fritillaria imperialis has become a mainstay of spring borders, where it stands proudly, and flamboyantly, above tulips, hyacinths and narcissus. Throughout April the bell-like flowers dangle from solid stems, attracting pollinating insects to the teardrops of nectar that form at the base of each flower. From its first unfurling, the plant makes its presence known by its pungent, foxy smell: to some, this is a disagreeable, even nauseating, scent; to others, it is one of the perfumes of spring, a sign that the garden is reawakening.
Denne historien er fra February 15, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 15, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Save our family farms
IT Tremains to be seen whether the Government will listen to the more than 20,000 farming people who thronged Whitehall in central London on November 19 to protest against changes to inheritance tax that could destroy countless family farms, but the impact of the good-hearted, sombre crowds was immediate and positive.
A very good dog
THE Spanish Pointer (1766–68) by Stubbs, a landmark painting in that it is the artist’s first depiction of a dog, has only been exhibited once in the 250 years since it was painted.
The great astral sneeze
Aurora Borealis, linked to celestial reindeer, firefoxes and assassinations, is one of Nature's most mesmerising, if fickle displays and has made headlines this year. Harry Pearson finds out why
'What a good boy am I'
We think of them as the stuff of childhood, but nursery rhymes such as Little Jack Horner tell tales of decidedly adult carryings-on, discovers Ian Morton
Forever a chorister
The music-and way of living-of the cabaret performer Kit Hesketh-Harvey was rooted in his upbringing as a cathedral chorister, as his sister, Sarah Sands, discovered after his death
Best of British
In this collection of short (5,000-6,000-word) pen portraits, writes the author, 'I wanted to present a number of \"Great British Commanders\" as individuals; not because I am a devotee of the \"great man, or woman, school of history\", but simply because the task is interesting.' It is, and so are Michael Clarke's choices.
Old habits die hard
Once an antique dealer, always an antique dealer, even well into retirement age, as a crop of interesting sales past and future proves
It takes the biscuit
Biscuit tins, with their whimsical shapes and delightful motifs, spark nostalgic memories of grandmother's sweet tea, but they are a remarkably recent invention. Matthew Dennison pays tribute to the ingenious Victorians who devised them
It's always darkest before the dawn
After witnessing a particularly lacklustre and insipid dawn on a leaden November day, John Lewis-Stempel takes solace in the fleeting appearance of a rare black fox and a kestrel in hot pursuit of a pipistrelle bat
Tarrying in the mulberry shade
On a visit to the Gainsborough Museum in Sudbury, Suffolk, in August, I lost my husband for half an hour and began to get nervous. Fortunately, an attendant had spotted him vanishing under the cloak of the old mulberry tree in the garden.
