Crocus 2023

[Yann]

Crocus melantherus are currently blooming in the garden. This species like sticky clay and lot of water during the growth periode. No doubt that the 380mm fallen the last 20 days were benefit for a lot of plants that suffered this summer.

[Robert]

Yann,

Thank you for showing the photographs of this fine Crocus species and sharing some cultural information. It seems like it would be a fine species to grow in our California garden. I will see if I can find it here in the U.S.A. If one puts out the effort many things turn up close to home. 

[Leena]

Yann, a beautiful crocus.
Here temperatures are so low that although autumn crocuses come up, they don't open.
Still, I like the most hardy ones.

[Robert]

Hi Leena,

I find a beauty in the unopened Crocus flowers just like I find the beauty in your garden despite, or maybe because of the character of your gardening climate. Here in Northern California, dealing with the 40 plus C temperatures and the months without precipitation each summer has its challenges. In many ways our gardening season ends with the summer heat/dry and returns with the autumn rains and cooler temperatures. I find a great deal of beauty in our hot dry season, that those in Northern Europe might consider dead, ugly, or a disaster. It seems like it is all ones perspective and like relativity it can all be correct.

Recently our weather here in interior Northern California has been “average”. We have had some rain, about average to date, some very cool weather, and some periods with much above average temperatures. There is no snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains – this is unusual for this time of year. Currently there is a very strong El Niño in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. Generally a strong El Niño is associated with high snow levels in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The amount of precipitation this winter is on everyone’s mind. El Niño was associated with above average precipitation for California, however since ~ 2000 our climatic patterns have changed dramatically. We are in uncharted territory and many aspects of gardening have become very challenging in our area.



This photograph is of Crocus niveus blooming on 12 November 2022. This year the flower buds are just emerging from the ground. We got a good seed crop from this species for the first time last year. All the seed has been planted in hopes that we get some genetic recombination and can spread this species around in our garden. It certainly does well here.

Crocus kotschyanus and Crocus speciosus bloomed earlier this autumn. They have never set seeds. The Crocus speciosus were purchased as corms from a local nursery and are likely all the same clone. I have wondered if Crocus species are obligate outbreeders? I have never found the answer to this question. The Internet has not been helpful at all. I am sure that a botany professor at some university somewhere knows the answer to this question. Maybe some are obligate outbreeders, some are not. For me an important question with no easy answer.

Enjoy your gardening day! 

[Leena]

Hi Leena,
I find a beauty in the unopened Crocus flowers just like I find the beauty in your garden despite, or maybe because of the character of your gardening climate. Here in Northern California, dealing with the 40 plus C temperatures and the months without precipitation each summer has its challenges. In many ways our gardening season ends with the summer heat/dry and returns with the autumn rains and cooler temperatures. I find a great deal of beauty in our hot dry season, that those in Northern Europe might consider dead, ugly, or a disaster. It seems like it is all ones perspective and like relativity it can all be correct.

Robert, you are right. And though I don't like winter, it would be as hard for me to live in as hot climate as what you have. I enjoy your pictures from the mountains where you go!

[MarcR]

Leena,

Come to western Oregon.  In the last decade: we have only had 137 days below freezing. Of those, few have been below 20F [-6.6 C] and none have been below 15 F  [-9.4 C].  In summer we have had only 22 days above 90F [32.2 C]. Our average Summer temperatures range between 75 and 88 F [23.8 C- 31.1 C].

[Leena]

Marc, I think also Scotland would be perfect climate for me.
Well, four more months until first signs of spring hopefully here.