Crocus: November 2010

[Lars S]

Thank´s Janis !

Let´s hope for a mild winter then.

Lovely pictures of crocus pallasii Ibrahim.

Lars

[I.S.]

Lovely pictures Ibrahim,good to see the variation. Is Uskup near Kırklareli on the European side

 Tony, yes this is the exact location where my C. pallasii pics made.

 I like to show one more C. pallasii. This was a nice surprise for me to see in a pot of C. cancellatus lycius so it is from quite far and differance part of country. It is smaller than my standart pallasii but very nice in color .

[udo]

Here is very cloudy and extremely wet weather. Rain, rain and rain... Even pools are out of borders and flooding meadows.
Crocus flowers die without opening even once. So no pictures can be placed. For next weekend is offered quick drop of temperatures till minus 20 C or even lower. Could be beat all frost records for November here. It mean that next week I will start covering of pots in greenhouses and no more pictures will be available. Pity, as some stocks of melantherus, aleppicus, hyemalis and few others will stay with flowerbuds for winter and will not be seen in their beauty. Every day I'm plucking of wilted and died buds to prevent botrytis and penicillium rots, so easy starting on died flowers in such weather. Although Colchicums and Sternbergias are even more susceptible. Serious problems with my Onco-irises, some cyclamens, Pelargonium endlischerianum, too.

But I had more time for other observations. I noted that all stocks grown by me as Crocus imperatii (earlier subsp. imperatii) now have quite long leaves (up to 5 cm), but all stocks grown as C. suaveolens (earlier subsp. suaveolens of C. imperatii) still are without leaves. Only one stock bought from P&M company as suaveolens is with same leaves as imperatii, so I now changed its label. I got several stocks of both collected by Thomas and those repeats the same. There are not even tips of shoots visible in pots labeled as suaveolens and long leaves on pots collected as imperatii. Would like to know your observations about those two crocuses.
Janis

Janis, my observation to Crocus imperati and suaveolens:
Cr.imperati from Thomas, 4 cm leaves
Cr.suaveolens Cambridge Bulbs also 4 cm
        ``        ex. `de Jager`  1 cm

[Janis Ruksans]

Dirk, many thanks for your notes about imperatii-suaveolens complex.

I think the attached two pictures are the last from me this year. Outside all is covered by snow and temperature during day stay at minus 4 C. Weather broadcast for following week is quite horrible - from 1st of December is offered even minus 25 C. So, if prognosis will not change, on Monday I will start covering of pots in greenhouses to protect them from extreme low temperatures. Pity that still many crocuses are in buds. In last two weeks we had endless rains and no one sunny day. Many crocuses pushed out flower buds but they never opened before started to wilt. So today I brought in the room two pots with Crocus hyemalis but it was so dark, that it was impossible to picture them without flash. I don't like such pictures, but can't to present you better.
Janis

[art600]

Photographed this nice laevigatus last weekend.  Think it was a gift, but thanks to birds pulling out labels I do not have a record.

[Janis Ruksans]

Photographed this nice laevigatus last weekend.  Think it was a gift, but thanks to birds pulling out labels I do not have a record.

Excellent flower, Arthur!
Janis

[ian mcenery]

Photographed this nice laevigatus last weekend.  Think it was a gift, but thanks to birds pulling out labels I do not have a record.

Nice plant Arthur.  I like laevigatus  It is a bit like this one from a forumist some years ago - I think tonyg in 2005. A nice lavender laevigatus with strong purple outer markings.

I have now a growing selection of seedlings some beginning to flower.

[tonyg]

Yes, Ian that is the 'dark form' that I have distributed.  I think I have seen it pictured here by other recipients too!  Here are some of mine, planted outside for about 10 years now - tough!

[ian mcenery]

Yes Tony mine outside also look at bit sorry for themselves just now

[Janis Ruksans]

The same Crocus hyemalis pots, only pictured without flash, just before pollination and returning to greenhouse.
Janis

[I.S.]

  Here is my another surprise which made me undecided for lable!
I have this crocus in spring with leaves. I thought It was something very common but it is very interesting with light pink color without any feathered but not albino. So it should be just a sample for its own locations.

[I.S.]

  janis we still have here over 20 c in day and 16 in night

[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.

[Lesley Cox]

  janis we still have here over 20 c in day and 16 in night

Ibrahim, the temperatures here on the other side of the world are exactly the same at the moment. I left back and front doors wide open last night because it was so muggy and warm and this morning was wakened by a thrush flying around the kitchen and crashing into things. Small dog chasing after it was unlucky and I was able to rescue it.

[ashley]

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