Crocus February 2007

[mark smyth]

was it Quinten Crisp who said after  /10 years the dust in a house doesnt change

welcome back Thomas and son

My rogue Crocus is supplied from a well know UK supplier who must have bought elsewhere. Today in the garden I see I have about 50 of the rogue LOL. I need to get my tommies in the garden properly labelled. I have Roseus which is easy, Barrs Purple and Whit(e)well Purple and the one with pale tube.

In the Plant Finder it lists forma Albus, Barr's Purple, Eric Smith, Lilac Beauty, var pictus, var roseus, Ruby Giant and Whitewell Purple.

To add to the confusion I remember buying Lilac Beauty twice. Once from a garden centre, planted in the garden, and once from a bulb supplier planted in a pot. Both are different. Only Thomas can help but I can wait

[hadacekf]

Welcome back Thomas and son. Thank you for the ID of Crocus chrysanthus.

[Maggi Young]

Mark, Quentin Crisp said that the dirt didn't get any worse after the first four years . He was quite right.

[Anthony Darby]

This came up in an unlabelled pot. It must be a form of Crocus vernus?

[Maggi Young]

I would think so, Anthony. A fine upstanding flower, let's you see why this species has proved such a good parent for so many of the large Dutch hybrids.

[Lesley Cox]

My warmest welcome back to Thomas too, and so pleased all is well with Chris.

I'd better apologise for thinking that `Advance' WASN'T `Advance.' I remember it as being less blue and more lavender on the outside. So memory is failing along with eyesight, knees and just about everything else.

I think Dirk's sign is great and I've been practising Maggi's paraphrase for years to good effect and can just about prove that the QC quotation is true.

[KentGardener]

Hi Mark

the dust comment was indeed Quentin (but it was after 4 years) - I met with him many times and have photos of his apartment to prove that he believed it to be true!....

He also had a theory about how often to wash dinner plates - needless to say I always arranged to meet in a local cafe for lunch!

regards

John

[Thomas Huber]

Hello everyone and thank you for the warm "welcome back"
We're both happy to be home again!!!!   

Mark, please post photos of your different "Lilac Beauty" and I will try to help you!

Dirk, your sign was exactly made for me, too!!!   

Here some impressions from my garden in yesterdays sunshine: 

GAME OVER:


Hamamelis ? with the Neustadt church:


Crocus lawn and Iris in the rockgarden:

[Thomas Huber]

Anthony D - you're unlabelled crocus looks indeed like Crocus vernus.
The dark tipps point for ssp heuffelianus!

Yesterday I also found a lot of new chrysanthus/biflorus seedlings
in my lawn. First one is my favourite - enjoy them from the in- and outside:

[mark smyth]

lovely hybrids.

Here is what I showed recently as tomm. 'Lilac Beauty' and at the bottom the rogue among the minimus

[Thomas Huber]

Mark, these look true, but you talked about TWO different forms?

[mark smyth]

Thomas they are different colours. One has a silver/cream outer petal and the other is all purple. If I had time I would get out the RHS Colour Chart but I was supposed to be elsewhere an hour ago. Both were bought as 'Lilac Beauty'. The two coloured one came from a bulb supplier. The other came from a garden centre

[Thomas Huber]

Of course they are different - did I misunderstood you?
You wrote about the Crocus rogue among the minimus in your
first message, which I understand as: you bought them as minimus
NOT as Lilac Beauty like you mention in your second message 

The purple one looks like "Barr's Purple" from flower shape, but
the colour is more intense than in mine, so maybe it's a seedling?

[annew]

Glad to hear all is well with your son, Thomas. Your crocuses look fantastic - even the upside-down white and green ones !

[Maggi Young]

When plants are settling so happily in their situation, as Thomas' are certainly doing, it is a particular delight to see these charming hybrids arising. It gives an extra frisson to the pleasure of raising from seed when your plants are so obliging as to assist you with your work. Actually, even if the results of self-seeding are not pretty new forms, but faithful reproductions of their parents, that gives us a special satisfaction. I don't feel the same about the Tropaeolum speciosum or Cotoneasters in our garden ,though