Crocus March 2008

[Lvandelft]

When making pictures at the field of the Connoisseur Collection I found the next two Crocuses.
Both are beautiful and the only difference I can find, is that Cr. Negro Boy starts flowering a few days after Cr. Purpureus Grandiflorus.
Interesting I find that both were delivered in September 2003 by the same nursery.
(And this is not a Dutch Nursery)
Who can tell me the difference?
It's ofcourse a way to sell more bulbs with new different names.

Oh, and there is still Paulus Potter from the same source?

[Maggi Young]

Well, well, this is a surprise, Luit!  I have been admiring these very dark crocus and I looked between them and thought that they lookes very similar. But diferent days, diefferent light... it can be very hard to tell.....now you tell us this, and you have looked  at the flowers with your own eyes ......even the Paulus Potter is very close.......this is a confusion for us, once again!

I did read somewhere, that 'Negro Boy' was now being sold under another name, because that name was thought to be too impolite nowadays....but these names are not the one. 

[Lesley Cox]

I certainly can't see any difference. I suppose 'Negro Boy' was thought to be politically incorrect.  It's OK to say someone is black but not that someone is negro or negroid, yet those two words simply mean.....Black! Perhaps it's the associations rather than the words themselves.

[Guff]

Heres a site list of named crocus, many I have never heard of. Too bad there isn't pictures of these never heard of/seen crocus.

http://www.plantago.nl/plantindex/plants/c/Crocus/Crocus.htm

[Boyed]

Luit

One of my collegues in Russia grows around 50 different varieties of Dutch crocus vernus hybrids, many of which are now very rare in trade. I will ask him to clarify this matter.

So far I can say that your both pictures illustrate the same variety 'Nigro Boy'. 'Purpureus Grandiflorus' is rather paler and very close by its colour to 'Flower Record' being slightly larger and having longer filaments. 'Paulus Potter' has unique colour for crocus vernus hybrids - purplish-magenta.

I don't understand why people think that nigro is not polite, as it is not 'Nigger Boy', but 'Nigro Boy'. If people are affended to be called nigros, they can also be affended to be called black, as those words mean almost the same meaning, first indicating the origin, second - colour.

[Thomas Huber]

Luit, I agree with Zhirair, true Purpureus grandiflorus is much brighter than Negro Boy.
I had it once, but it looked like Remembrance so I guess it wasn't the right thing.
Here the description of the KAVB list:

[Boyed]

My collegue from Estonia Svetlana Polonskaya grows both 'Flower Record' and 'Purpureus Grandiflorus'. That's what she told

'Flower record' has purple flowres darker at the base from outside;

'Purpureus Grandiflorus' has medium-sized uniform purple flowers, darket at the base from outside, and its flowers are slightly darker than those of 'Flower Record'.

She's sent its photo, which I attache to this meesage

[Maggi Young]

Oh! Oh, Luit, here we go again!!

[ashley]

I certainly can't see any difference. I suppose 'Negro Boy' was thought to be politically incorrect.  It's OK to say someone is black but not that someone is negro or negroid, yet those two words simply mean.....Black! Perhaps it's the associations rather than the words themselves.

Partly that I suppose.  Was it Peter Ustinov who once got into trouble at US Immigration by classifying himself as 'pink'?

[Armin]

A beautiful show Armin!
I wonder how many Crocuses I would need in my lawn to come to
such a result for a start. 

Hi et all,
thank you for your compliments. My lawn is my tiny paradise.

Hello Luit, Hello Anne and all others interested in a crocus lawn,
you have to invest in a few hundred corms...as more the better . Start with cheap clones as Thomas recommended.
Important is not to mow the gras before crocus get dormant, thats usually eof May. I admit that's a long period and your lawn will not look not like "an English lawn" - more like a meadow. But that's essential for success.
Since 3 years I stopped to fertilize my lawn with nitrogen to limit gras growth which turns out to be a very useful measure. In autuum and spring I spread "Patentkali" (pottasium,magnesium,phosphat fertilzer). As my soil is very loamy and heavy, I addtional had spread sand and grinded limestone last autuum in the hope soil and sand will mix slowly. After the summer heat I scarify the lawn on demand to remove dry gras and moss.
With this treatment my privious "English lawn" is converting slowly to a meadow and many new flowers appear like primulas, campanulas, chrysanthem ect. and they feel happy.

Hello Luc,
most of my chrysanthus cultivars are still in flower as my lawn is on the nothern side of my house which makes a lot of shadow especial when the sun is still in low level Jan/Feb.time frame.
Early flowering cultivars like Chipsy Girl, Ard Schenk and wild "Milea" are over too.

Hello Thomas,
my Jeannine is from PC Nijssen/NL purchased last year.
Ladykiller carrying virus: Thanks - I'll observe closely. The leaves looked normal when I took the picture. If it turns out to be virused I'll kill that beast!

Hello Dominique,
your C.vernus Fantasy is much colorful than the ones I've seen recently during "Nettetaler Schneeglöckchentage". Great!

Hello Andrew,
beautiful crocus you have!



 

[Armin]

Heres a site list of named crocus, many I have never heard of. Too bad there isn't pictures of these never heard of/seen crocus.

http://www.plantago.nl/plantindex/plants/c/Crocus/Crocus.htm

Guff,
thank you - that web side is new to me.
Indeed many new cultivar names.

[Armin]

a few more impressions from my lawn...

[hadacekf]

Armin,
your lawn and crocus are simple beautiful.

[Viola]

Cr.korolkowii
Cr.bifl.ssp.alexandri
Romulea croccea TR

[Armin]

Franz,
thank you for the compliment. I'm still a croconut beginner - my lawn can't compare with your phantastic alpine garden.