Crocus: November 2010

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Some Crocus which flowered today ...

Hans when I see how beautifully these grow in your garden I feel sorry for the poor things I have in pots under glass 

Exactly my feelings Ashley ! 

Gorgeous plants Hans ! 

[Janis Ruksans]

Yesterday, when I checked status in my Crocus greenhouse, soil surface in pots below stone chips started to harden. At 8 o'clock in evening outside temperature dropped to minus 13 C and sky was full with bright stars. I really started to worry - what will happen with my treasures and called a friend for help in Sunday. Fortunately sometime during night some clouds appeared and dropping of temperature was not so dramatic as suspected and in morning it was only minus 8 C. But weather broadcast for all next week offers only minus 10-13 C.
So my first job this morning was plucking of crocus flowers and buds. I tried to count them but after 500 I stopped - it still was only near half of total. And then we covered all pots in greenhouses with light artificial "snow" - 5 cm thick glasswool sheets. Tomorrow must visit local shop to buy more glasswool. Still left uncovered ~ 200 sq.m. of boxes with plantings.
So attached here are my last pictures from this season and new ones will come not earlier than around start of March next year, when covering I will took off.
Janis

[Armin]

Some Crocus which flowered today - C. mathewii 'Dream Dancer' is flowering much later than the other forms (and is compared with Anthonys very pale), C. laevigatus 'dark form' and C. hyemalis are very floriferous this year.

Hans,
lovely crocus images.
Your 'Dream Dancer' is unusual...whitish anthers, very long styles, flowering late and with long leaves...
Maybe it has inherited some C. cartwrightianus genes?  

[Armin]

Janis,
bad luck! It is a pity the blossom out had to finish abruptly by the harsh weather conditions.
It hurts to read you had to pluck so many flowers and buds.
But I hope you can savely preserve all your treasuries over the winter!

[mark smyth]

Janis do your Crocus stay under the glass wool all winter?

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis do your Crocus stay under the glass wool all winter?

Yes, they will stay under cover up to end of February, first days of March - depends from weather.
I'm usually waiting couple days with frost below minus 10 C for soil in pots freeze a little. Then during warm days pots still stay frosen as glasswool protects them both ways - from extreme frost and from high temperatures in our usually very unstable winters. Yesterday I thought that may be I covered my plantings a little too early, but this morning, when temperature outside dropped till minus 19 C, I'm very happy that I did it yesterday,
Three years ago temperature suddenly at Friday's evening dropped till minus 20 C for several days but I had flu just on those days, so I got helpers only on Monday's morning. Pots with bulbs in greenhouse (unheated poly-tunnel) stood exposed for 3 nights. As result I lost all my stocks of Crocus caspius. Seriously suffered, but I didn't loss wattiorum, boryi, melantherus and few other Crocuses, lost Ornithogalum cretense and some other bulbs.
Janis

[Hans A.]

Some Crocus which flowered today - C. mathewii 'Dream Dancer' is flowering much later than the other forms (and is compared with Anthonys very pale), C. laevigatus 'dark form' and C. hyemalis are very floriferous this year.

Hans,
lovely crocus images.
Your 'Dream Dancer' is unusual...whitish anthers, very long styles, flowering late and with long leaves...
Maybe it has inherited some C. cartwrightianus genes?  

Thanks Armin, you comment something I suspected. This 'Dream Dancer' was strange from the beginning - a large corm, but only leaves, so I thought it would not flower - but now it is even more strange. Whatever it is, it is not awful - but for sure not as beautyful as the a pure mathewii.

[Janis Ruksans]

Seems that my Dream Dancer is the same - it made only leaves regardless of large corm and only at very end showed some bud but cold arrived before flower came out. As the supplier is PCh I'm not wondering that different customers got different plants.
Janis

[I.S.]

  While most of you already have been closed autumn season.
  Here is one of my spring bloomer crosus but for my climate it is like autumn bloomer!
  Crocus reticulatus subsp hittiticus
 
 

[Armin]

Ibrahim,
very beautiful - with impressive 'leather like' anthers.
Where is the pollen? And which insects could potential pollinate them in late autuum in their natural environment?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

A wonderful species Ibrahim !   

[I.S.]

Ibrahim,
very beautiful - with impressive 'leather like' anthers.
Where is the pollen? And which insects could potential pollinate them in late autuum in their natural environment?

  Armin, here it is still 22 c. so there are planty of insects around but I thing no need pollinaters! like this species with short style and long anthers.  I also can't see pollen it might be because of a young flower!
  We are also waiting cold weather, after this sunday!.  Temperature will go down 10 c.! I hope not to see snow like you there!
  This picture taken in my gaden but in wild (Centr Taurus) they flower in february. It is interesting but some of my spring plants they flower now!

[daveyp1970]

I didn't know were to post this  if maggie wants to move it she can,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crocuses-Complete-Guide-Janis-Ruksans/dp/1604691069/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291549166&sr=1-2     ,what a fantastic price BARGAIN!

[Tony Willis]

I didn't know were to post this  if maggie wants to move it she can,http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crocuses-Complete-Guide-Janis-Ruksans/dp/1604691069/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291549166&sr=1-2 ,what a fantastic price BARGIN

I have just ordered it,something to look forward to at the end of January

[daveyp1970]

same here Tony roll on the 25th