Crocus February 2014

[Tim Ingram]

Lovely plants. One that is doing well on a humus rich raised bed in our garden (and pictured earlier): Crocus herbertii. This really is stunning with the low sun catching it, and is growing in amongst a suckering plant of Sorbus reducta.

[mark smyth]

It is Crocus sieberi ssp sieberi from Omalos Crete.

fabulous flower

[krisderaeymaeker]

Inspired by Tony's beautiful C sieberi I went to see if I had any C.sieberi in flower and found one pot in bud. I brought it indoors through heavy rain and photographed it as it was opening up. It is Crocus sieberi ssp sieberi from Omalos Crete.

I love that one Melvyn . Sadly I lost mine this autumn ........

[Tony Willis]

Melvyn  very nice one of my favorites.

Kris I will be able to replace yours in May when they die down

[Jacek]

One that is doing well on a humus rich raised bed in our garden (and pictured earlier): Crocus herbertii.

Tim, I believe Crocus herberti is one of the crocuses that would survive our winters. It's on my wish list, yours looks excellent. I'm slowly collecting diffrent crocuses in the garden and observe how they are doing.

[Tim Ingram]

Jacek - I imagine it should do. Our climate is really too mild for many of these plants - viz: that they grow so well for Jānis in Latvia. The hotter and drier summers on the continent must be good for growing many crocuses in the garden but both herbertii and banaticus seem to do well on this bed (the latter self-seeding a little), and from reading Jānis' book it sounds as though they don't want to dry out quite so much, and the former is very hardy.

[François Lambert]

I can only dream at all those flowering crocusses ... I think crocusses are not suited to grow where I live.  Here are some of my observations.  There were crocusses in the garden where I lived when i was a child.  When we moved to Passendale I dug up some of the crocusses and planted them over there, but they have all died within a few years.  The only ones that survived for a few more years had their bulb really at the surface of the soil.  My best guess is that in the first garden it was a well draining sandy soil, whereas in Passendale it is a heavy clay soil and the bulbs may have rotten away in the excessive humidity.  And where I live now ... the soil contains even more clay, with at a depth of between 30 cm and 3 meter a think layer of gray clay that is totally waterproof.  But ... if anybody has a good suggestion I would appreciate a lot.  I don't have the possibility to improve drainage or so or creat raised beds, they really would have to survive in the open.  But I do have one spot that is a bit drier because it's next to a ditch and even in winter somewhat on the drier side.

[Maggi Young]

Under attack....... bitten off an chewed


sometimes my admiration for wildlife is greatly tested......

[Matt T]

Who did that Maggi? Could be birds. Maybe blue tits after the nectar? Clearly the dogs are not very good at protecting the flora from the fauna!

[Maggi Young]

I think it is bird damage - they're from a trough low down under the sitting room window, so remarkably well hidden from detection at the time of attack. Little bandits!  Have spoken severely to Small Whites about their lax attention to this problem- they just  say they are more concerned with mice and blackbirds ..... what can you  do, eh?

Megan on duty by the window this lunchtime

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Inspired by Tony's beautiful C sieberi I went to see if I had any C.sieberi in flower and found one pot in bud. I brought it indoors through heavy rain and photographed it as it was opening up. It is Crocus sieberi ssp sieberi from Omalos Crete.

A gorgeous specimen, Melvyn !  Superb !! 

[Graeme Strachan]

There are some lovely crocuses that many people have grown this year.

Here is C.cvijicii from seed I received from Bill McGregor four years ago.

[Maggi Young]

Lovely, and one of my favourites, Graeme ( I admit it's a long list of favourites!)

[WimB]

Some Crocusses in flower here today.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Milea'
Crocus 'Fantasy'
Crocus biflorus subsp. tauri
Crocus dalmaticus 'Petrovac'
Crocus 'Yalta'

[Cyril L]

Some lovely forms of Crocus sieberi.  I must grow this species and its forms.

The Crocus biflorus subsp. tauri is also very striking.  Another one to look out for.

I have this Crocus biflorus? in the garden with paler blue flowers.  Can anybody identify it more accurately?