Crocus March 2008

[johanneshoeller]

Thank you Lesley, yes it is sieberi.

[Armin]

During the last few days I have studied extensively the three Crocuses, i.e:
Barr’s Purple, Whitewell Purple and Ruby Giant.
I made many pictures of them and studied the colours with a simple Colourchart:
J.H. Wanscher; Farbbestimmung von Blumen leicht gemacht.

Luit,
thank you for scruting the color details. I have no doubt your pictures show "Ruby Giant".
The obvious two different commercial forms of "Whitewell Purple" are still my remaining concern.
I don't see a solution...

[Armin]

Mark,
your C. heuffelianus made me think of my C. etruscus last year.
Here are two pix of the same little group of C. etruscus

1) 2007 looking a bit "awkward"
2) 2008 looking "normal"

The pictures were taken with different cameras which explains the colour difference.

Hello Luc,
my C.etruscus "Zwanenburg" looked year to date like your 2) 2008 looking "normal", having many little streaks (no virus, leaves normal)
Surprisingly to me all my C. etruscus "Zwanenburg" look this year like attached. They grow on the same place and have been not lifted.
I find this an very interesting feature of this clone...
Does anyone else made this kind of discovery?

[Armin]

Let the sun more shine on my crocus
My lawn today.

[tonyg]

At the recent crocus day at RHS Wisley there was a suggestion that the trade C etruscus carries a virus.  This does not seriously weaken the plants but shows itself in the variable streaks that we have noticed in our plants.  .....Of course what we cannot be sure of is what this virus will do to other crocuses that may not have the same resistance or strong constitution.

[Lesley Cox]

  .....Of course what we cannot be sure of is what this virus will do to other crocuses that may not have the same resistance or strong constitution.

Besides, it looks terrible.

[Lesley Cox]

Armin, your Crocus lawn is beginning to rival Thomas' lawn. 

[Paul T]

Great pics everyone!!

Mark, I have yet to see a pic of 'Carpathian Wonder' that I don't like.  Hopefully Marcus H. will import this one day, if he hasn't already. 

[Thomas Huber]

What a great lawn, Armin - but please don't forget the path through the plants 

Luit, many thanks for your extensive studies to clarify that tommi-mystery. Seems like I was wrong  Please forgive me 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great lawn Armin !!

[Otto Fauser]

Paul, Marcus Harvey did import  'Carpathian Wonder' some years ago from Janis R., I've had it for a couple of years , but no encrease so far ., but should it oblige , I'll remember you.

[Paul T]

Otto,

You're far too kind.  So is it as nice in person as it is in the pics?  I'd figured that MH would have or would be going to import it at some stage as it is so distinctive, although there are a couple of distinctive ones Janis has released now in the heuffelianus.

Hopefully it'll be like 'Hubert Edelsten'.... sits there for a couple of years doing not a lot other than increasing a bit in size, then it starts to increase a bit.  Lyn's did that here in Canberra and she gave me a tiny offset years ago when she only had a couple of corms...... mine has grown for 3 years, getting bigger each year, and now has a tiny offset with it.  Hers, since they got to offsetting stage, have grown well and she has a good clump of them.  Maybe it is just a matter of waiting long enough (which is almost always the way isn't it!  )  We gardeners are generally an impatient lot, although I can't be too bad or I wouldn't be growing stuff from seed. 

[Lvandelft]

I suppose all this is one very compelling argument for all registered names to be complete with an official colour description using the (horribly expensive) RHS colour chart ?

I just picked one of many quotes regarding discussion about RHS Colour Chart.

Maybe have a look at the Azalea Society of America or is it possible to make a link from SRGC to this Society.


http://www.azaleas.org/azcolorhelp.html#ucl

[John Forrest]

This just flowered from exchange seed collected in Slovenia, so would like comment on whether it is correctly named. The first pic of the outside was taken early in the day when overcast and so looks bluer than the open flower taken late afternoon in sun,which has a redder tinge.

[Thomas Huber]

John, Crocus vernus ssp vernus is generally correct, but the beautiful colored tips point for ssp heuffelianus
which was a variant of ssp vernus before Brian Mathew has taken it to ssp-status in 2001.

The following photos were all taken today, from different angles, in difficult light conditions due to fast
moving clouds in the sky - hope you will enjoy the show: