Description
A hardy species native to southern and western Europe and the Mediterranean basin. It flowers from about April onwards in a variety of habitats which are mostly well drained and sunny. Stems with up to 10 flowers (facing in two different directions) bear quite large, showy, flowers of carmine, magenta or bright pink, each bloom with three pale pink, or white, streaks on the three lower petals.
Easily grown in any rich, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Best planted deep outside in the right site and soil and better not potted. Potting leads to a wide variation between day and night temperature which causes the bulbs to offset and split up too much (this does not happen when they are planted deeply, in the garden, and left alone).
Picture: cropped from and original picture by Luis Nunes Alberto, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, with thanks.