Any kind of artificial watering must be avoided at this time, including rainfall run off from eaves and roofs, and dousing from automatic irrigation systems. Although most books I've encountered say that fritillarias prefer light shade, I've never had any difficulty with a sunny exposure. Perhaps, however, if your springtime temperatures tend to be overly hot, dappled afternoon shade might prove beneficial. The planting depth for fritillarias is usually 3 to 6 inches. Once planted, they like to be left undisturbed.
Subsequent years prove infinitely more gratifying.
August and September are the best months to accomplish this. The readily recognized crown imperial, hardy to USDA Zones 4 to 7, grows from 24 to 40 inches tall. A native of southern Turkey, F. imperialis has some exciting cultivars that are easily available. Aurora' has orange red flowers with purple veins. One of the oldest selections, dating back to 1665, is Lutea', which has clear, lemon-yellow bells.