Crocus April 2008

[HClase]

Apropos Paul's sand.  We had a visit from Peter Korn last week who gave us a talk about his experiences with growing alpines in sand - i.e. not just as a top dressing, but a medium of nothing but sand.  I can take his point about alpine dicots growing in more natural conditions and it seems to work for him.  He also showed some frits, but no crocuses.  Our thoughts are that since he was using natural glacial deposits there may be a bit more in it than in the crushed rock sand, which is all we can get here.  I seem to remember that John Lonsdale said that he planted his bulbs in pure sand too at Edgewood.  Has anyone experience of growing crocus in sand?

By the way, we weren't able to show Peter any outdoor plants except trees.  There's still a couple of feet of snow all over our garden today, and there was more when he was here.  8C forecast for tomorrow, maybe I will have some outdoor crocuses to post by the end of the month.  Can we claim the last first crocus of the Northern hemisphere?

[tonyg]

I have tried some crocus in a 'pseudo-sand' bed.  That is I have a raised bed with about 6 inches of sand over a layer of old potting compost.  The corms are planted in the sand but will root through into the richer mix below.  The idea was to give a warmer, drier rest to the corms while maintaining access to nutrients.  Cc goulimyi, kotschyanus, pulchellus, hadriaticus and flavus have persisted while C imperati has not.  As the bed was not primarily for monocots I cannot comment on ther crocus.  (It does support a one of the smalller, 'nodding' calochortus which would not be happy in the natural garden condition and Cyclamen graecum flowers there in hotter years.)

[Guff]

Thomas, I was looking at your Crocus Hybrids in Trade thread to see what the tiny white ones on my dog's grave are. Their White Beauty, do these set seed?

Also alot of my new Blue Pearl's have no pollen, they look just like Prince Claus inside, all white. Does this sometimes happen when newly planted?

Thanks for info.

My dog's grave is turning out pretty nice and a small holding bed with Blue Pearl and Firefly.

[Boyed]

This year my crocus vernus “Queen of the Blues” all of a sudden (all samples) developed darker veins. It doesn’t seem to be a virus, but I can’t understand the reason for that. Maybe our croconuts know what’s the case. Will be also pleased to know Tony’s opinion about that abnormality.

[Thomas Huber]

Thomas, I was looking at your Crocus Hybrids in Trade thread to see what the tiny white ones on my dog's grave are. Their White Beauty, do these set seed?

Sorry Guff, can't remember if they set seed or not - will have a look at my plants later!

[Paul T]

Howard,

My Crocus bed is half sand, half recycled potting mix, with the actual baskets in which the crocus are planted containing half sand, half fresh potting mix.  Top-dressing over the top with sand for uniformity and "mulch".  I've heard elsewhere of pure sand beds.  Apparently very good for a lot of south african things.

[tonyg]

This year my crocus vernus “Queen of the Blues” all of a sudden (all samples) developed darker veins. It doesn’t seem to be a virus, but I can’t understand the reason for that. Maybe our croconuts know what’s the case. Will be also pleased to know Tony’s opinion about that abnormality.

It might be damage to the developing flowers by, for example, extreme cold or perhaps drought ... BUT I suspect that this might be the first sign of a virus.  I am not saying that it definitely is virus but I have noticed similar slight abnormalities in flowers one year before finding virus in leaves in a later year.  If this is the case the plants will usually show a loss of vigour, flowering less well. .... Hope I am wrong in the case of your plants though!

[Boyed]

Tony,
Thanks a lot for your comments. I find them very wise.
It is very strange. I personally suspect that it could be caused by a stress. Last year all the summer we had permanent rains and the winter was very cold. The most surprising is that all the samples (I have over 300) developped such darker veins and I could find any normal specimen among them.

I have been growing this variety since 1985 and each year trashed only around 2 to 3 virused (colour-breaking virus) plants, which developed disorted flowers and darker irregular stripes. But this I observe the first time and it is really interesting what will be the next year. The only thing that keeps me not yet thinking of virus that there are not irregular stripes, but only darker veins. Anyway, next year everything will be clear.

[Boyed]

Tony,
I forgot to mention that around half of the samples of cr. "Queen of the Blues" don't flower this year (I mean matured samples)

[Guff]

A couple crocus patches around the yard, and my first holding bed from 06. The roseus did great, lots of pink flowers.

[Jim McKenney]

One of the crocus illustrated in the Connoisseur Collection thread (see reply #99) page 7,  http//www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.90

   is the old cultivar ‘Haarlem Gem’. Has anyone seen this in commerce recently?  It’s mentioned in many early twentieth century books, but I’ve never seen it on a list or in a garden.

[HClase]

This isn't our first outside crocus yet, but there are one or two patches of bare soil now.  The  thaw has uncovered my "outside" frame and I was delighted to find this pot inside.  My 1 m diam circular bed of "Princess Beatrix" and C. nudiflorus throws up some particularly attractive seedlings at times, and I sometimes have been able to extract them safely (other times not!)  This one came out a couple of years ago, and is, as far as I know, different from any named commercial cultivar - Thomas will tell us if I'm wrong.  The outside is blueish grey and the inside pale yellow merging to purple-grey at the tips.  I hope I can build it up.

[David Nicholson]

One of the crocus illustrated in the Connoisseur Collection thread (see reply #99) page 7,  http//www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1331.90

   is the old cultivar ‘Haarlem Gem’. Has anyone seen this in commerce recently?  It’s mentioned in many early twentieth century books, but I’ve never seen it on a list or in a garden.

Jim, you will find it here

http://shop.bulbmeister.com/fall/fall.html?q=Crocus%20(Spring)&s=75&l=25&z=0

[tonyg]

Tony,
Thanks a lot for your comments. I find them very wise.
It is very strange. I personally suspect that it could be caused by a stress. Last year all the summer we had permanent rains and the winter was very cold. The most surprising is that all the samples (I have over 300) developped such darker veins and I could find any normal specimen among them.

I have been growing this variety since 1985 and each year trashed only around 2 to 3 virused (colour-breaking virus) plants, which developed disorted flowers and darker irregular stripes. But this I observe the first time and it is really interesting what will be the next year. The only thing that keeps me not yet thinking of virus that there are not irregular stripes, but only darker veins. Anyway, next year everything will be clear.

If they are all the same I would think it is more likely a stress related problem but the number of non flowering bulbs is a worry.

[Lesley Cox]

Guff (Rob?) any dog would be happy to lay down his life and be buried under such a lovely cover. When I am laid in earth myself, I hope it will be with as attractive a topping as that.

Three crocuses from the other half. Could I have some expert opinion please about the first, C. medius which should not, as I recall, have these dark marks. Not the "V" word I hope?



Then C. vallicola whose thick, creamy texture is so beautiful.


and C. longiflorus, vigorous and generous and flowering earlier each year.