Crocus November 2009

[Hristo]

Ian,Tony,Paul and Armin thanks for your comments, good to know you guys enjoy seeing wild crocus as much as we do!
We are hoping the BG forms of pallasii will grow well from a spring seed collection and may be easier in cultivation than
the Greek forms perhaps!

[Thomas Huber]

What a wonderful crocus trip, Chris and Simon - wish I could have been with you 

Dominique your bicoloured medius will probably not come back. I had such an effect on Crocus banaticus some
years ago. Just for one autumn and in the next season the plant was not seen again 

[Boyed]

Great shots from the wild keep them coming please

Here is a favourite of mine in the garden. A late flowering (Nov) form of niveus. The last being a close up

Very beautiful photos of a very beautiful species Ian.
I see that they do quite well outside in your area.
I grow all my nievus forms in big pots under cold glass. But they've multiplied very well during last years and I don't have enough space to grow them all inside in pots. So I want to try this species outside, but worried about how they will survive our winter conditions. It snows quite well in winter in our area, but during February the temperature sometimes gets -25 for a week or two. What do you think, will it be O.K. for this species provided a good snow cover?

[Sinchets]

Thanks  
The last tranche of C.cancellatus mazziaricus pics, again showing the wide variations of colours and forms seen.

RE: C.niveus we have them growing outside here in the mountains in Bulgaria! They have snow for 3 months in winter and cold also from the frosts we have before and after the snows. So why not give some a try outside, maybe under dwarf shrubs-as ours are grown. 

[ian mcenery]

Great shots from the wild keep them coming please

Here is a favourite of mine in the garden. A late flowering (Nov) form of niveus. The last being a close up

Very beautiful photos of a very beautiful species Ian.
I see that they do quite well outside in your area.
I grow all my nievus forms in big pots under cold glass. But they've multiplied very well during last years and I don't have enough space to grow them all inside in pots. So I want to try this species outside, but worried about how they will survive our winter conditions. It snows quite well in winter in our area, but during February the temperature sometimes gets -25 for a week or two. What do you think, will it be O.K. for this species provided a good snow cover?

Zhirair in the UK such temperatures are almost unknown but I think as Simon suggests these are OK in Bulgaria in theory  it should work OK for you. In fact I would think that they might be just as exposed if not more to the cold in pots under cold glass. Worth a try with a few corms I should think

[Thomas Huber]

I grow all my nievus forms in big pots under cold glass. But they've multiplied very well during last years and I don't have enough space to grow them all inside in pots. So I want to try this species outside, but worried about how they will survive our winter conditions. It snows quite well in winter in our area, but during February the temperature sometimes gets -25 for a week or two. What do you think, will it be O.K. for this species provided a good snow cover?

Zhirair, I've tried niveus outside last winter, when the temperatures reached -20°C and less for some weeks and they survived.
They had a snowcover of 15cm. Without snowcover I'm sure the leaves would have died in the cold, but probably the corms
will survive. I would give'em a try if you have enough.

[Gerry Webster]

Great shots from the wild keep them coming please

Here is a favourite of mine in the garden. A late flowering (Nov) form of niveus. The last being a close up

Very beautiful photos of a very beautiful species Ian.
I see that they do quite well outside in your area.
I grow all my nievus forms in big pots under cold glass. But they've multiplied very well during last years and I don't have enough space to grow them all inside in pots. So I want to try this species outside, but worried about how they will survive our winter conditions. It snows quite well in winter in our area, but during February the temperature sometimes gets -25 for a week or two. What do you think, will it be O.K. for this species provided a good snow cover?

Zhirair in the UK such temperatures are almost unknown but I think as Simon suggests these are OK in Bulgaria in theory  it should work OK for you. In fact I would think that they might be just as exposed if not more to the cold in pots under cold glass. Worth a try with a few corms I should think

C. niveus is a lowland plant & experience with it outside seems very variable & somewhat unpredictable. I'm surprised to hear that it does well in the conditions which prevail in Bulgaria. Here in Brighton it does not thrive outside. Severe cold is very rare here & the problem, I think, is winter wet. In the 3 year crocus trials at Wisley in the early 1990s C. niveus performed poorly, a fact attributed to the poor sandy soil.
I guess one just has to try & see how they do

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Just a day away from the Forum and again another avalanch of gorgeous Crocus pix has hit this thread !

Simon and Chris, great pix from the wild !!! Beautiful Bulgaria !! 

Dominique, great series of wonderful Crocus !! I'm particularly impressed with your big clumps outside in the garden !! 

[Ragged Robin]

I'll second your thoughts Luc, everyday I look at these crocus pages and marvel at the different habitats and forms - I had no idea the season was so strong for them in November.....do you have any in your garden?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Just a few, Robin.  C. boryi, ligusticus(formerly medius), speciosus and that's about it.
The others I'm trying to grow and multiply in pots before I try them outside...  

I consider myself an apprentice Croconut...  

[ian mcenery]

Great shots from the wild keep them coming please

Here is a favourite of mine in the garden. A late flowering (Nov) form of niveus. The last being a close up

Very beautiful photos of a very beautiful species Ian.
I see that they do quite well outside in your area.
I grow all my nievus forms in big pots under cold glass. But they've multiplied very well during last years and I don't have enough space to grow them all inside in pots. So I want to try this species outside, but worried about how they will survive our winter conditions. It snows quite well in winter in our area, but during February the temperature sometimes gets -25 for a week or two. What do you think, will it be O.K. for this species provided a good snow cover?

Zhirair in the UK such temperatures are almost unknown but I think as Simon suggests these are OK in Bulgaria in theory  it should work OK for you. In fact I would think that they might be just as exposed if not more to the cold in pots under cold glass. Worth a try with a few corms I should think

C. niveus is a lowland plant & experience with it outside seems very variable & somewhat unpredictable. I'm surprised to hear that it does well in the conditions which prevail in Bulgaria. Here in Brighton it does not thrive outside. Severe cold is very rare here & the problem, I think, is winter wet. In the 3 year crocus trials at Wisley in the early 1990s C. niveus performed poorly, a fact attributed to the poor sandy soil.
I guess one just has to try & see how they do

Gerry Niveus seems to do OK outside for me but it is grown in the highest part of a scree and is very well drained. It is one of the few autumn species along with tournefortii that I grow well in the garden. When I made this small raised area bed I had only grit/gravel and composted bark and was too lazy to go and get some John Innes (stupid I know) but after a shaky start a lot of things seem to do OK in this part of the bed now

[Roma]

Fantastic crocus pictures everybody.  I especially like your ochroleucus pictures, Dominique.  It grew well at the Cruickshank Garden when I was working there.  I have some in a pot but Idon't think it will flower this year.
Flowering in my greenhouse just now Crocus caspius.  It has multiplied up from a single corm given to the Cruickshank Garden in 1982.  It was originally collected in Iran by the late Primrose Warburg.  It increases well and also sets seed.

[Maggi Young]

Stuuning crocus, Roma... and really cool striped bug!

[Boyed]

Thanks for your comments related to crocus niveus.
Another further question.
Crocus niveus under cold glass vegetate all the winter and spring and forms very huge tulip-sized corms (if planted in big pots). In garden, as far as I understand, it can overwinter under snow cover withour leaf damage and continue to vegetate in spring keeping on forming and growing its replacement corms. Am I right?

[Ragged Robin]

Fantastic crocus pictures everybody

Yours included, Roma, a great photo too!