Winter Flowering Colchicums December 2008

[Maggi Young]

Gunilla, how nice that you begin to post! Welcome to the Forum! what a super photo to begin with, thank you!

[Gunilla]

Thank you Maggi. This is such a great forum. I feel welcome already.

[Anthony Darby]

Most impressed with your wee outside colchicums Mark. Here is a wee gem from Jānis - Colchicum munzurense.

[Maggi Young]

woo, look at those purple tips to the leaves... that's terrific... the sort of detail I couldn't see without digital photos!

[Anthony Darby]

Yes Maggi. I forgot to point those out. Note the two different flower colours.

[Maggi Young]

Yes, I see those two colours now... is that more than just one flower being older?

[Anthony Darby]

Yes, I see those two colours now... is that more than just one flower being older?

I don't think so. The oldest flower is pink and you can see a pink bud, so the colour doesn't change.

[Paul T]

Mark,

Love those kesselringii.  Beautiful.  Mine went to the great garden in the sky a few years ago unfortunately, while the C. luteum that I got from the same friend at the same time (probably close to 10 years ago) has continued to grow on happily.  I'd have expected from literature that it would be the other way around.  I just wish the luteum would offset, but after all these years it is still a single plant, and it refuses to set seed. 

[mark smyth]

Paul mine do the opposite. luteum dies but kesselringii multiplies. A couple of years ago I gave away some

[Anthony Darby]

Apparently Colchicum munzurense (from Turkey) is a spring flowering species!

[Paul T]

Mark,

If yours set seed, could you please send me a couple?  It looks like you may have a couple of clones there judging by the difference in markings in the petals?  I don't know whether kesselringii is self fertile or not..... although I have a vague recollection that mine set seed onto itself one year, which I gave away to someone.  Obviously that was before it turned up it's toes though.  I think I might have a self sown seedling in the original pot, but it is barely growing each year so I have my doubts.  Would love to have it again, even if it does have to be years of waiting for seedlings to get to flowering size.

[mark smyth]

I would but mine have never set seeds.

Anthony, kessellringii is supposed to be spring flowering also.

[mark smyth]

Here's Colchicum hirsutum. I've had great difficulty photographing it my camera cant see it. The flower has never opened wide even after being on a sunny windowsil three days in a row. Slugs have eaten the leaves so if you have it get the pellets or liquid out.

[Anthony Darby]

That's much paler than my hirsutum Mark? It has lovely furry grey-green leaves.

[mark smyth]

My hirsutum looks more like your munzurense