Crocus January 2008

[Paul T]

Wow, the biflorus nubigena is so striking.  Love the feathering on the other biflorus as well.  Fantastic pics everyone.... greatly enjoying them here at the moment.  They remind me of exactly what will happen in spring to the corms I have been taking out of pots in preparation for their new raised garden home soon.  At the moment my Crocus collection is predominantly a bunch of brown paper bags!! 

[Thomas Huber]

Paul why don't you show us how your garden looked like before and after you have finished it?
Surely we can learn something from these photos!

[Paul T]

Thomas,

You don't want to see what it looks like in the before shot.  I am literally building this garden across my driveway.  It will straddle one of the two concrete strips that make up the driveway heading to our garage (our garage hasn't had a car in it in close to 10 years now.... it's a junk room and my potting shed!  ).  I will be making the garden out of a single height of wooden sleepers, then building up with rocks etc to create contours etc.  At the moment the are is a whole bunch of pots sitting on the driveway.  I actually DID take pictures originally when I worked out exactly where and how big I was going to make the garden.... it will be 2.4m x 1.8m.  At the moment it is getting funds together to pay for materials that is holding me up, but I really have to get the crocus back into the ground within the next few weeks so I can't wait much longer now to do it!  I may even incorporate a dwarf japanese maple into the garden as well, as I would imagine it will help keep excess moisture away from the bulbs in summer while they're dormant and the maple is in growth?

I'm looking forward to having it finished and seeing how much better the Crocus, Iris reticulatas and Narcissus bulbocodiums will grow for being "in the ground" instead of in pots.  Of course then I will have to contend with seedlings coming up everywhere once everythign starts flowering better and hybridising.  I can think of worse things to have to be worrying about though!! 

So once it is finished I may post a tiny (so you can't see TOO much detail as to how messy it currently is) picture of what it looked like beforehand.   

[David Nicholson]

Here is my crocus, bought as, Zwanenberg Bronze. Looking a little chewed. Is it correct Thomas?

Crocus chrysanthus Zwanenburg Bronze

[David Nicholson]

Come on Paul, post the pictures, we don't mind a mess

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Nice potful David !  I hope you got hold of the nasties who chewed on it and gave them what they deserved.... ("crunch" -  )

[Andrew]

Crocus gargaricus ssp gargaricus and ssp herbertii are very similar, Mathew did not recognise ssp herbertii in his monograph.  It is said that ssp herbertii increases by producing stolons and this is the principle distinction.  An account of this plant and a photograph are to be found in the Quarterly Bulletin of the Alpine Garden Society Vol 68, No 2, pp205-206.  There may be other factors to observe, presence/absence of leaves at flowering and the distribution in the wild might be relevant - Tony W has seen them in the wild and might be able to help.  In my limited experience ssp gargaricus is easier to cultivate being more tolerant of the drier summers here, it sets a little seed for increase.

Just to be clear, the two subspecies are now recognised when Mathew did an update in The Plantsman June 2002.

[ian mcenery]

Andrew don't hold in suspense what is the difference?

[Armin]

Great pictures from everyone.
Still the hazy weather conditions hold back my crocus blossoms outside
I hope for more sunshine...

[Maggi Young]

Re: Crocus January 2008
« Reply #200 on: January 27, 2008, 11:03:59 PM »



Crocus gargaricus ssp gargaricus and ssp herbertii are very similar, Mathew did not recognise ssp herbertii in his monograph.  It is said that ssp herbertii increases by producing stolons and this is the principle distinction.  An account of this plant and a photograph are to be found in the Quarterly Bulletin of the Alpine Garden Society Vol 68, No 2, pp205-206.  There may be other factors to observe, presence/absence of leaves at flowering and the distribution in the wild might be relevant - Tony W has seen them in the wild and might be able to help.  In my limited experience ssp gargaricus is easier to cultivate being more tolerant of the drier summers here, it sets a little seed for increase.

Ian, Tony G. gave this answer already, yesterday!

Main differences  from my reckoning are the willingness to make stolons and  herbertii having bigger bracts, I think

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Some of mine - taken in the sunshine yesterday   - today overcast again...  

Crocus etruscus - closed and open
Crocus 'Miss Vain'

[David Nicholson]

Nice Luc. Lovely colouring on the etruscas, and Miss Vain such a pure white.

[ian mcenery]

Nice pictures Luc my etruscus is no where near flowering

[Martin Baxendale]

Nothing special, just some snaps of seedling toms (very) briefly open in the sun this morning. And good old imperatii 'De Jaeger'...

[tonyg]

Just to be clear, the two subspecies are now recognised when Mathew did an update in The Plantsman June 2002.

Thanks Andrew, I knew I had the reference somewhere!  Unfortunately all he says is that there are differences and that ssp herbertii applies to plants from Ulu Dag.   
.... so Ian, looks like you are off to Turkey to check it for us