Fritillaria imperialis and persica help
penstemon (Thu, 05 Jun 2014 18:56:03 PDT)

Both species grow quite well in my garden, in clay soil. My average annual
precipitation is about 30 cm, mostly occurring from March to July. The clay
soil prevents rain from penetrating too deeply; the bulbs are planted about
15 cm deep. The only time of the year when moisture penetrates that deeply
is in late winter and early spring, from melting snow.
I suspect that my climate is similar to that of the bulb's native habitat,
though, of course, worse.
It's fairly common for Fritillaria persica to abort buds, if there is cold
weather just as the buds are being formed.
One recommendation for preventing the bulbs of F. imperialis from getting
too wet is to plant them at a 45 degree angle, so that water does not remain
in the hole left by last year's flower stalk. I can't imagine the soil ever
getting that wet in my garden, but I suppose in does in other gardens.

I discovered, this past March, while scratching in the soil near where the
F. imperialis grow, that even though the foliage had not emerged, I could
smell the bulbs.

Bob Nold
Denver, Colorado, USA
Zone 6, I guess.