Crocus February 2008

[afw]

If you look on the left hand side of the page of the Wikipedia Crocus page it gives the english translation.

Only partially I'm afraid. Trying to be clever!!

[Gerry Webster]

An english translation? Not on my computer.

[Tony Willis]

Can we get back to Crocus please

as requested here we are back with crocus. I bought these as one corm from Pilous a few years ago
Crocus scardicus

[art600]

Tony W

I did not know that Vlastimil Pilous sold bulbs.  I have been delighted with his seed.

What conditions did you give scardicus - I believe it is notoriously difficult to keep, let alone increase and flower.

[Tony Willis]

Arthur

I could say skill but that would be a joke!! In truth  I think I have good conditions,it is so cool and wet here it probably thinks it is at home.i find it easier than ones that need hot dry summers. There have to be some benefits from living in this gloomy area.

It was possibly 8 years ago that I bought the corm.

I grow it in a peaty soil in a frame which is shady and never dries out. I have only potted it on once and I just moved the whole lot into a larger pot with no root disturbance. I had a bad moment in the autumn when I let them get a bit dry but they seem to have recovered. They are in leaf for about 9 months of the year with the new leaves showing as the old die away.

It is not self fertile and so I get no seed of it. I have however crossed it with pelistericus for the last 3 years and have my first seedlings almost at flowering size,one more year I think.

[Anthony Darby]

Can we get back to Crocus please

as requested here we are back with crocus. I bought these as one corm from Pilous a few years ago

Tony, are the  C. scardicus flowers really that colour? Gorgeous! They are so intense!

[John Forrest]

Thanks for moving my post Maggi.
Have arrived back from Tenerife and can log on as normal now.

[Maggi Young]

Welcome home, JoF !  Good to have you back, though  it's a pity you hadn't brought some of the Tenerife warmth back with you.... flippin' perishing here!

[mark smyth]

oooo weee what a colour

[Tony Willis]

I think the colour of the scardicus is pretty accurate, they do seem to glow

[Anthony Darby]

I have noticed a gap where my Crocus kosanii isn't and I'm wondering if I left it on the show bench last Saturday? I have emailed Sandy.

[HClase]

It's been difficult to contribute from here when there's more than 1 m of snow outside and temperatures are usually below zero - but not always, it was +7 and pouring with rain a few days ago.  However, at last, there's something in the frame, which rarely goes below zero in fact.  Crocus baytopiorum has been my first spring crocus for the last couple of years, one of the three was partly consumed - a slug, I think, since they were still active even at these temperatures until I put out some pellets - but I left it in case its pollen is useful.  I managed to catch these one handed leaning out of the window that opens onto the frame during a sunny spell yesterday.

[Maggi Young]

I managed to catch these one handed leaning out of the window that opens onto the frame during a sunny spell yesterday.

Nicely caught, Howard.
I think a future forum competition might be... "How I dangled from a twig to get this photo..."

[David Shaw]

Here are this weeks blessings
Crocus etruscus
Crocus vitelinus
Crocus veluchensis
Crocus veluchensis
Anyone have any comments about the petals on C. veluchensis?

[David Nicholson]

Nice David. Maybe a little nibbling has gone on in C. veluchensis, or are you thinking the 'v' word?