An older post was quoted in part as follows: "Since Fritillaria bulbs replace themselves every year, their original orientation in the ground will be lost anyway." This is absolutely not true. Fritillaria bulbs are true bulbs and are not annually renewed. They either add more and larger scales, as a Lilium bulb does, or simply increase the size of the original scales. F. imperialis and F. persica are of the latter type, which can produce offsets as well, though these two species don't do so every year. The bulb enlarges in successive years until it reaches its maximum size for the species and the environmental conditions. In regard to orientation in the ground, this can change as the bulb moves deeper in the soil. This can be achieved either by contractile roots (you can observe them in the dormant state, when the withered annual roots appear accordion-like), or by the form of the new scales, which extend downward and have a "hook" or "anchor" bit at the base. When I have many seedling Fritillaria bulbs or the "rice grain" bulblets produced by some species, I don't bother to try to orient them correctly in planting; they orient themselves through root action. The young bulbs begin to show their top and bottom clearly to the unaided eye when they are two years old, though if you look very carefully you can see it the first year. I suggested to Janos that he use a gritty soil for his bulbs because I assume he lives where there is precipitation through most of the year. Bob Nold finds that his plants do well in clay, but notes that not much moisture penetrates to the depth of the bulbs (he lives near Denver, Colorado). I live in the maritime Pacific Northwest, where summers are dry, but the rainy season lasts too long (October to June) for some bulbs from more arid climates. When I had a property with very well drained soil, I could grow F. persica in the open, but now I am gardening on clay and probably it would not do well except in a raised bed of gritty soil. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA