Crocus september 2015

[ruben]

Crocus damascenus - cold en grey weather, the flower has not yet opened.

[Yann]

nice color, no sign of blooming yet here 

[ruben]

Some sun so the first open autumn crocus in the cold frame.

Crocus damascenus

[ruben]

Crocus cancellatus ssp. mazziaricus - a whitish form - grows perfectly outside!!

[Tony Willis]

Lovely plants Ruben.

Here are a couple of photographs of Crocus scardicus and C. pelistericus today.

 This cold wet summer has meant that they are still in full leaf from last spring whilst on the C. scardicus it is possible to see the new shoots just coming through the top dressing. The c. pelistericus are also just as advanced. The leaves will eventually die off and then they will remain at this stage until early March.It is interesting that if left to their own devices the corms of these two sit just under the surface.

This has been a wonderful growing season for the plants in the garden if not for humans.

[pehe]

Ruben, I am surprised that your lovely Crocus are flowering already. Are the ones you have shown normally so early or are they very early clones? Here it seems that Crocus and other autumn flowering bulbs are at least 3 weeks later than in average years.

Poul

[ruben]

Thx Tony! I believe that the summer for u was much colder and wetter than ours. Here in Belgium we had a warmer summer than usual and extreme dry spring and summer.

Poul, the crocus cancellatus ssp. mazziaricus is about a week later than previous years. Because it has grown so well i wanted to try if there was a difference in flowering time if i gave this species a dry summer rest. I did not use a cold frame (to hot for this one) but a box with cover. (see picture). I normally use this for my seedlings.
They're cool but dry in summer. My conclusion is that they are flowering the same, both a this moment.
The one in open ground (with dry and hot summer and some rain) and the one in the box (only watered first time on september first 2015)
So i think this clone of mazziaricus is very early and does not only react on moisture but also on temperature and maybe some other things.

Crocus damescenus is new to me so i can't say But i think (and i read) its also an early one!

[Janis Ruksans]

With me crocus season started, too. The first (of course - it was Crocus scharojanii in July) as always is Crocus suworovianus. Every day more and more stocks open their flowers. On this is pictured beautiful form from Yaylasuyun pass collected at altitudes 2330 – 2400 m. Note the nice "nose" on top of flower segments - something in direction of much longer "tail" of C. vallicola. But yesterday some blue tips were observed on the first pot with C. cappadocicus and today flowers completely opened. This is stock collected at its locus classicus on Ziyaretpesi pass. Both are from Turkey. Meanwhile in greenhouse now are horrible smell - for more than month one by other comes out flowers of Biarum's. I have a helper who fills pots with soil for me. And I made a joke, asking him why he used corner of greenhouse instead of going to toilet. And he swore by all that one holds dear, that it was someone else, not he. And then I turned him to flowers of Biarums... Yes, beautiful flowers but most of them with horrible smell. I'm not growing Biarum's in pots. One of my rised beds in greenhouse is filled with soil mix and there are planted some rarest Eremurus species, Central Asian and Iranian Delphiniums, Onco-irises and Eminiums and Biarums. Here pictures of Biarum kotschyi from Turkey and Biarum tenuifolium from Greece.

[tonyg]

Great to see these early flowers.  Here it will be another week or two, mine have been kept dry through summer but with shade netting over frame and thick polystyrene sheets over pots to protect from too much heat.  I like your box covers and pots plunged in ground Ruben - a good strategy .... although you must have younger knees than I do 

[ruben]

Thanks Tony! My knees be 30 years old next month 

My box covers is for my pot with seedlings. They love it in there.
I grow mature bulbs in open ground(see picture) or in a cold frame (see picture)

[ruben]

Hard working to prepare the seeds for the Crocus group  .
Luckily we have great cooperation of a very young member and have a Belgium beer to refresh!!

196 different collections of seeds and corms. THANKS A LOT TO ALL DONORS!
You can still send you're wish list until the 15th of September!
Not a member yet? Good reason to join the crocus group next year!

Much regards Wim(Seed exchange manager) and his helper Ruben

[ruben]

Not much crocusses are in flower yet, but Crocus damascenus stole the show today.

[Janis Ruksans]

Hard working to prepare the seeds for the Crocus group  .
Luckily we have great cooperation of a very young member and have a Belgium beer to refresh!!

196 different collections of seeds and corms. THANKS A LOT TO ALL DONORS!
You can still send you're wish list until the 15th of September!
Not a member yet? Good reason to join the crocus group next year!

Much regards Wim(Seed exchange manager) and his helper Ruben

It looks that those packets on your table are from me?
Janis

[ruben]

Yes thats correct Janis! I help wim to clean the seeds the crocusgroup received from you and others! The deadline is approaching fast and we want to keep us to the date of depatch.

[Matt T]

The first Crocus is out here, and appropriately enough it is C. banaticus 'First Snow'.