Crocus September 2008

[David Nicholson]

Beauties Thomas, all of them.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

What a magnificent show Thomas !!!
Thanks for showing them !

[Boyed]

Very beutiful pictures, Thomas, and as always photographed with taste and professionalism.

Relating crocuses, it's quite hard to charge their beauty by photos, as many look great in pictures, but in real make the opposite impression. This year I trashed all my crocus cancellatus, hadriaticus and some crocus serotinus forms finding them not attractive, beacause when my other crocus species bloom they get lost on the background of more showy forms. Though that's my personal opinion. In spite of everything I know that crocus nudiflorus never can dissapoint me.

[Thomas Huber]

Thomas - beautiful crocus. The C.medius from Faiallo is very impressive. Was this grown from seed? How long did it take? I'm still awaiting flowers from seeds collected further west, near Carcare - they seem very slow.

Not from seed, Gerry. I received them as corms labelled Crocus medius, this spring they
flowered and I had to re-label them to Crocus etruscus. Both are not to distinguish by
the leaves and corms alone. You can imagine my surprise when I found this flower now.
Had some seed this summer but can't tell you how long they need to flowering size.

[mark smyth]

Zhirair you dumped crocus cancellatus, hadriaticus and some crocus serotinus forms?

[Thomas Huber]

In my delirium I see C. hadriaticus var chrysobelonicus has a dark stem.
Is that the main difference to C. hadriaticus ssp hadriaticus (compared to my picture posted Sept.14th)?
Can you kindly explain?

Armin, Brian Mathew doesn't mention the difference between var. chrysobelonicus, var. saundersianus and var. hadriaticus
but I guess it's exact this dark stem. Anne Wright offers the plant under this name in her nursery.

[Thomas Huber]

This year I trashed all my crocus cancellatus, hadriaticus and some crocus serotinus forms finding them not attractive, beacause when my other crocus species bloom they get lost on the background of more showy forms. Though that's my personal opinion. In spite of everything I know that crocus nudiflorus never can dissapoint me.

Zhirair, one mans trash is the other mans treasure 

Re nudiflorus, I will show you a photo of a small flowered nudiflorus later when it's out - it's just 10-12cm tall!!

[Gerry Webster]

Armin, Brian Mathew doesn't mention the difference between var. chrysobelonicus, var. saundersianus and var. hadriaticus
but I guess it's exact this dark stem. Anne Wright offers the plant under this name in her nursery.

For those whose Latin is a good deal better than mine here are Herbert's original descriptions. As far as I can understand it,  the exterior of the flower of var. chrysobelonicus is described as dark. According to Stearn's 'Botanical Latin', "rubro livido" would mean something like blackish red.

[Thomas Huber]

Thanks Gerry, now we need somebody to translate this into English or German 

[ArneM]

I still have Latin at school but don't ask me to translate that. 

[David Nicholson]

Anyone remember Peter Cook's E L Whistey character 'I would have liked to have been a Judge-but I didn't have the Latin'


Here is my Crocus goulimyi

[art600]

David

Nice colour - my goulimyi are not yet up.

[Boyed]

Mark,

Yes, I got rid of thoses crocuses. I dind't like crocus cancellatus at all, thogh it grew and increased well. It's in the last place in my autumn crocus chart. Crocus hadriaticus is nice, but too far from my taste. Crocus cancellatus salzmanii is among my favourite species. I just kept the most showy ones. I think it is better to have less and take a perfect care of them, than to have many and be short of time.

Thomas, crocus nudiflorus is a real gem for me. Even very samll forms are in the cercle of my interest. It is good to have some small forms as well for camparison purposes.

David, crocus goulimyi is a real beauty!!! I love it very much - all forms.
This year I didn't harvest all my crocus goulimyi forms and they showed a great vigour: grwe up to 20-25 cm tall and are unbelivably florifeous. One bulb produces masses of flowers, especially the variety 'Many White'. I took some photos and will try to post soon. A gratious crocus and planted in groups in makes dramatical effect!!!!!!!!!

[Gerry Webster]

Crocus niveus.   
This delicately bicolored form was raised from Jim Archibald seed:- ex D. M. Hoskins 98-2 & other collections made in Greece, Lakonia, N of Pirgos Dirou (JCA pop.ref. 348.806). In my experience, most forms of C. niveus  don’t like winter wet & this one is no exception.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Very nice Gerry !  A true Gem !!