Lauw de Jager wrote that all of the large Fritillaria (imperialis, persica, raddeana) in the (dry) ground do not show any root development. "The cause of the roots on your F imperialis surely is a humid environment." Thanks, Lauw. It's hard to avoid humidity here! Your response has answered another un-asked question for me, too: if you are growing Fritillaria imperialis in the zone Olivier of France, then I think I can rule out summer heat as a limiting factor. Of course I know that this plant grows in the wild in some very hot countries; but it is often described as a mountain plant. And presumably the mountains are cooler than the low lands: but maybe not! I hear reports of success with this plant north and west of me, but never east or due south of me. The fact that many reports of success originated to the north suggested that heat might be a limiting factor. But evidently it is not. I think I am making progress in figuring out what this plant needs under our conditions. Thanks, Jim McKenney