Crocus October 2019

[pehe]

Crocus nudiflorus and banaticus are performing well right now.

[pehe]

Crocus vallicola from Artvin, Turkey.
Most of them are grown in a open frame, but they are also doing well different places in the open garden.
The pot of seedlings are flowering for the first time this year. They are from own seeds sown July 2016.

[Mariette]

Mine are not so many and that special, but I like the ethereal colouring of Crocus goulimyi ssp leucanthus.

[Mariette]

This Crocus kotschyanus flowered almost white last year, this year it looks more ordinary.

[Janis Ruksans]

This Crocus kotschyanus flowered almost white last year, this year it looks more ordinary.

Such changes of colours happens from time to time and depends from temperature, fertilizers etc, I collected white Crocus speciosus at Ijevan in Armenia, and this year it bloomed light bluish.

[Janis Ruksans]

Every day I'm taking off old flowers. It is very important to protect corms from rotting. Not so abundantly as before, but still a lot of nice blooms comes out. In this entry 2 samples of crocus mazziaricus/cancellatus s.l. - from Samos Island, Greece and from SW Turkey. After those 3 samples of Crocus cartwrightianus.

[Mariette]

Such changes of colours happens from time to time and depends from temperature, fertilizers etc, I collected white Crocus speciosus at Ijevan in Armenia, and this year it bloomed light bluish.

Yet itīs still extremely attractive!

[StevenS]

Crocus haussknechtii WHIR-202

[Janis Ruksans]

Up to last there were only two autumn blooming species in former Crocus biflorus group - Crocus nerimaniae and C. wattiorum. Both has very limited distribution area and belongs to the best crocuses. On the first 2 pictures are C. nerimaniae. It was very difficult to rise up its stock because in wild it almost 100% is virus infected and another problem is wild boars which eat their corms almost 100% not sorting - virus infected or not - at locus classicus. After 3 generations reproducing it from seeds and destroying all suspicious individuals, finally I think that I now have some stock of healthy plants, at least no one infected were observed this autumn and most likely I will offer this beauty for the first time.
Another is quite difficult in growing C. wattiorum. I lost all stock which I got from Erich Pasche, but stock from P&P Watt - gave good seed crop and now it again is well blooming with me. Both are plants from comparatively low altitudes.
Just recently the third autumn blooming species was found and described by Turkish botanist Osman Erol - Crocus terziogluii. It blooms in December and was found at S coast of Marmaris in Pinus forest. Attached picture is copy from original publication in Phytotaxa. I haven't it and suppose that due low altitudes it could be something problematic, although related C. vaclavii growing in nature at sea coast, grows well with me. Closest relative of new species is C. babadagensis. Another relatives are C. biflorus from Italy and C. rhodensis from Rhodos Island.
The last picture is of Crocus vallicola from near Artvin pictured yesterday in greenhouse and showing great variability of throat colour. It blooms now in outside garden, too, but flowers not open so well, but it is very beautiful even in buds.

[Janis Ruksans]

Only in 2015 I found Crocus serotinus in the wild and now it for the first time blooms with me. The reason of so late blooming after introduction was mistake in soil composition. Only last spring, revisiting locality, I found that soil where it grows in nature is very acid - my mini field laboratory showed pH around 5.0. Now it was planted in rhododendron mix and blooms for the first time.
White form of C. salzmannii was selected between my seedlings, the old albino which I got from Australia, turned virus infected and was destroyed.
Crocus kotschyanus from Gezbeli gec has the largest flowers between all my samples of C. kotschyanus.
Very large flowers has Crocus ligusticus from near Tavarone. I got it from Thomas.

[Edgar Wills]

Nothing too special in comparison to everything posted so far, but I like them nonetheless.


C. banaticus


C. Cancellatus


Probably C. (pulchellus) Zephyr


C. Speciosus

[Yann]

Crocus vallicola from Artvin, Turkey.
Most of them are grown in a open frame, but they are also doing well different places in the open garden.
The pot of seedlings are flowering for the first time this year. They are from own seeds sown July 2016.

I planted several bulbs in different areas of the garden and they grow well under shade as south exposed.

You've a really nice collection Poul.

[Janis Ruksans]

I planted several bulbs in different areas of the garden and they grow well under shade as south exposed.

You've a really nice collection Poul.

Mine Crocus vallicola from old roadside to Zigana pass in my garden yesterday.

[pehe]

I planted several bulbs in different areas of the garden and they grow well under shade as south exposed.

You've a really nice collection Poul.

Thank you Yann!

Specially the damp growing crocus like nudiflorus, banaticus and vallicola are doing well in my garden and are self-seeding.
Here is a nice dark Crocus banaticus seedling.

[Tristan_He]

Sigh.... the autumn crocuses are so pretty. We have had a nice show of Crocus nudiflorus this year, a pity that the rain makes the flowers so short-lived.