Crocus December 2010

[BULBISSIME]

Superb as usual Oron !
Crocus does'nt wait a long time to flower after rain 
I agree with you with the big differences between the last 2 Crocus. Are the leaves and corms also different ?

[Hans A.]

Stunning Crocus Oron!

[Oron Peri]

Thank you Fred and Hans,

Here are better photos from this morning of C. aleppicus Coastal dark form.

[Oron Peri]

Yesterday i went to photograph a small colony of C. hermoneus ssp palaestinus.
It is one of only 3 sites we know in this part of the Jordan River, just off the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
Unfortunately this ssp. is risking extinction in Jordan as well as in Palestine as it grows in very populated areas.

it is most unusual to see it growing in company of C. hyemalis.

[Maggi Young]

Just as I was feeling a slight Crocus shortage, Ian brought in a few C. laevigatus flowers which are scenting the room nicely and then I found these photos from Oron.... Crocojoy!


 Further Crocojoy in the fact that a review copy of Janis' book has arrived here.... see Ian's latest Bulb Log, just online....... http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2010Dec221293031039BULB_LOG__5110.pdf

[Melvyn Jope]

I also brought some flowers in from the cold today, the first flower is Crocus sieberi from Didima which opened almost immediately, the second and third is of a late flowering C. biflorus ssp melantherus, also from Didima, which took a little longer to open.

[Oron Peri]

Two more from today,
Crocus laevigatus from Evia with a wonderfull scent.
Crocus aleppicus, typical form from its southmost distribution in South Jordan.

[Tony Willis]

Melvyn and Oron lovely plants to see when mine are frozen in their pots,brightens the day.

[art600]

Oron & Melvyn

You have brightened my day.  Here it is frozen and even in the bulb house I have not got Crocus in flower.

[Oron Peri]

Thank you Arthur and Tony, glad these photos brighten your cold days.

Yesterday i went to visit a friend and took these  photos in his Garden, since there was not much light photos came dark.

The first is C. graevolens from South Lebanon, just a few Km north to the Israeli border.
These populations bloom from Mid December to Mid January, much earlier then the northern populations in Turkey.
An intresting fact is that this population lack the typical scent of C. graveolens, the first to notice it was Brian Mathew who received corms from this area in the 70's by the late Prof. Feinbrun which described it as C. vitellinus.

Second photo is  C. hyemalis with unusual dark markings on its petals reminding some forms of biflorus.

[Janis Ruksans]

Oron,
Many thanks for beautiful pictures enlightening evening after another day of snowing. Yesterday it was almost impossible to open house doors - so great snow heap was in front. About entering greenhouses I even stopped to think...
Merry Christmas to everyone!
Janis

[I.S.]

 Oron, wonderful pictures! thanks for posting them.
Here are some of mine early bloomers!.

[Alex]

I thought I'd take a photo of C. michelsonii in bud as it still looks fairly natural - unfortunately, by the time the flowers open, it's always very etiolated. I wish I knew how to prevent it...

[Otto Fauser]

Thanks Oron for posting 3 beautyful bulbous items- a lovely Christmas offering:Crocus hyemaliswithouter dark markings is unusual and beautyful , I only have grown the white form.
the charming Colchicum tuviae,a gem I have not seen before and the attractive coloured form of Iris vartanii .

[Janis Ruksans]

Oh, happy people even now with flowers. When I will see the first one? May be you can predict the date by attached pictures from my nursery how it looks today?
All the best in coming New Year!
Janis