Crocus autumn - 2020

[Janis Ruksans]

My autumn crocus bed around week ago and some crocuses blooming in it - new species from Israel, then beautiful Crocus cartwrightianus cultivar Purple Heart, Crocus ochroleucus  and as last C. clusii.

[Catwheazle]

beautiful 

[ArnoldT]

Crocus sativus

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus sativus

I like your sativus - it is practically identical with mine from Greece (see 1st picture). Where from comes yours?
But I have two stocks. Another one comes from Iran (2nd picture) - I dislike it's colour pattern although it is growing very well, but I replaced it out of crocus bed, as I'm afraid that could be present virus infection. Similar I pictured in Gothenburg BG (3rd picture) and found on saffron site in internet (4th picture). In the new book (Medicinal Plants of Afghanistan) received few days ago are 2 pictures of C. sativus with same suspicious pattern of flower colour (5th picture). Is this virus? Or may be only clonal difference? As it is grown by hectares, seem that Iranian-Afgan stocks didn't suffer. I didn't see clones grown in Spain and India etc. Of course appearing of different clones is very possible during so long time of cultivation.

[ArnoldT]

Thanks Janis

I probably came from a large group we did twenty years ago with members of the old IBS.  The order was from Hoog and Dix.

It has stayed in the same spot under a Korean quince ( Cydonia sinensis) with about 4-6 hours of sunlight.

[Janis Ruksans]

Some crocuses of day
Crocus hatayensis - type collection
Crocus nerimaniae - 3rd virus free generation
Crocus pumilus from Crete - tiny, odorless relative of laevigatus
Crocus cf. pallasii from Turkey in Europe
and one of Crocus speciosus relatives from high mountains in Iran

[Gerdk]

Just in flower
Crocus niveus bicolor - many thanks to Yann

Gerd

[Janis Ruksans]

Some more crocuses from Saturday - the last sunny day when flowers opened.
Crocus speciosus aff. 16IRS-065 from Iran
Crocus robertianus shows its variability
Crocus vallicola from Artvin, NE Turkey in full bloom - started very early but sparsely, now very abundant
Crocus mathewii JJJ-018 - excellent form, similar to cultivar 'Brian Mathew'- lost by me last year.
Crocus pallasii from Samos Island - Greece

[Catwheazle]

 Crocus ligusticus opened today

[Ian Y]

I am loving seeing all these beautiful Crocuses from Janis and everyone but what do you do when your Crocuses get battered by the weather?


The scent the give off when they open in the warmth of the house is delicious.

[Janis Ruksans]

I am loving seeing all these beautiful Crocuses from Janis and everyone but what do you do when your Crocuses get battered by the weather?

(Attachment Link)
The scent the give off when they open in the warmth of the house is delicious.

On sunny days greenhouse is full of sweetest scent, but outside... No photogenic picture. Crocuses bloom, but yesterday's snow, rain, hail and hard wind damaged all flowers. It was real hell outside. Fortunately I worked inside greenhouse potting Alliums. Hope to finish this week and then will remain only Tulips. Very late for me this year.

[Janis Ruksans]

Some crocuses from Saturday. Although today was sunny and quiet day, I even didn't visit crocus house. Worked in another polytunell planting Alliums for new raised bed.
Crocus cf. cancellatus LST-402 Kazik Beli, Turkey
Crocus pallasii KJGR-072, Chios, Greece
Crocus serotinus Alba from late Marcus Harvey
Crocus vallicola MP 8812 from Artvin, NE Turkey now in full bloom
Crocus cf. speciosus 16IRS-052 from high altitudes in Iran

[Janis Ruksans]

Yesterday finished with filling of pots my new raised bed - there are Alliums and part of Tulip species. Still left ~10 days to plant tulips - other species and own hybrids. After several days of "ignorance" visited my crocuses and really was shocked by incredible beauty of white forms of Crocus cartwrightianus as well as intensively yellowish shaded C. pumilus from Crete - it is darker than usually, but many "white" species had yellowish shade in early flowers this season.
Crocus cartwrightianus albus - commercial form
Crocus cartwrightianus from Naxos and its close-up
Crocus pumilus 17GRA-015 - more yellow shaded than usually

[papapoly]

I raised this Crocus from seed as Crocus adanensis.  It has just flowered.  Can someone please identify this Fall flowering species?

[Janis Ruksans]

Passed crocus season really was strange. Started far too early, some species formed small new corms regardless of good foliage, some made excellent corms regardless of weak foliage. As usually there were great losses between pallasii related species, more than usually between hadriaticus forms, but cancellatus group was better than usually is. Without regular renewing of stocks from seeds I could loss most of pallasii group species. Blooming is strange, too. Usually first flowers of C. caspius are white and second ones lilac – this year it was vice-verse. But in general losses were not greater than usually. Far better than year before were species with annulate tunics.

Of course I’m more lucky than my friends in France which had very great problems with keeping of crocuses due very exceptional hot waves. I brought out of greenhouse a lot of pots this year and results were far better than before with species from veluchensis sensu lato group, cvijicii, banaticus and other species from high mountain altitudes.

Still continue blooming and now the most important is taking off died flowers. Yesterday I did this for a pair of hours. Weather broadcast again changed and dark cloudy, wet days offered without sun, so it becomes even more important to prevent mold on died flowers which easy can penetrate down to corm and to kill it.
Crocus vallicola from Artvin
Crocus species nova ILOP-014 from Israel
Crocus tournefortii from Naxos
Crocus pumilus SBL-348
Crocus vallicola Blushing Marmot selected by Henrik Zetterlund starts white but during few days "blush" to light violet