Crocus March 2011

[ChrisB]

(Edit by maggi to move to March thread)


Two crocus just coming into bloom now I've fetched them into the greenhouse.  First one from the Discussion Weekend, and a screaming bright orange it is too, I'll take a better pic once the potful come out.

Crocus flavus MT4578 (Matthew Tomlinson collection)

The second purchased from member table at local group labelled Crocus pestalozzae var caerulus, again its just coming into flower and I seem to recall had been grown from seed.  Flower is very small, not sure if its because the corm is young or the actual habit of the species.

[WimB]

Nobody seems to have made a topic for March so I'll start:

Crocus abantensis
Crocus vernus subsp. vernus var. heuffelianus 'Carpathian Wonder' (twice)
Crocus vernus subsp. vernus var. heufelianus 'Dark Eyes'

[Armin]

lovely crocus from all - 'Dark Eyes' is nicely contrasted and has a nice goblet shape.

1st. croci flowers opened yesterday in my meadow/garden, too.

C. candidus - a gift from Igor. Many thanks!
C. biflorus ssp. biflorus 'Parkinsonii' - nice little star in my meadow
C. biflorus ssp. weldenii 'Miss Vain' - reliable and early in flower
C. chrysanthus 'Skyline' - like cv. 'Jeannine' split of in many tiny corms - only a few will flower this year.
C. graveolens -my little stinky! nice but has a terrible smell

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Good to see Winter is disapearing from your garden Armin !!

I have some to show as well :

1) Crocus heuffelianus "Wildlife" - in the sun, but too cold to open.. 
2) & 3) Crocus chrysanthus "Prins Claus" - an old cultivar I quite like
4 & 5) Crocus sieberi ssp atticus "Stunner" - brought home from the Harlow show 
6 & 7) Crocus vernus "Krasne Polje" - also newly acquired - much darker than the picture shows..

[I.S.]

  Crocus season is going to fast to read all for me
I need some advice for my C. pestalozzae. They don't seem happy at all
I think my growing conditions are to dry for it! because in wild it lives in low meadows which is under water. The second reason my soil is calciferous it may not like this. Even though its native habitation is Istanbul same like my garden!
  I have seen Tony GOODE has very helty C. pestalozzae

[Regelian]

I thought this crocus was chrysanthus, but, now that I have Janis' book, I think it falls under C. flavus flavus.  Can anyone confirm this for me?

I had purchased a bag of C. 'Advance', but they are all blooming as some blue-white, a bit like Prinz Claus, but not so round and a bit less intense in colour.  What a drag!

[Janis Ruksans]

I thought this crocus was chrysanthus, but, now that I have Janis' book, I think it falls under C. flavus flavus.  Can anyone confirm this for me?

I had purchased a bag of C. 'Advance', but they are all blooming as some blue-white, a bit like Prinz Claus, but not so round and a bit less intense in colour.  What a drag!

Most easy way - check the corm tunics after harvesting - chrysanthus has ringlike tunics at base (annulate), flavus - fibrous - longitudinally ribbed, without any rings at base.
Janis

[mark smyth]

BBC Spice Trail - right now - features Crocus

[Guff]

Dark Eyes is nice isn't it. I went through 4 bulbs a few years ago, bummer.

Luc are you sure thats Wildlife? Maybe Brian Duncan, I think thats a lighter pink/purplish color. Don't have it, but I recall seeing a picture someplace.

Wildlife from last spring

[Janis Ruksans]

Today Latvian Radio announced "jubilee" - this is the 100th day with uninterrupted snow cover in Latvia!. Last night we got some additional snow, although snow level now is lower than in January (then 47 cm), still plenty and a pair of very cold nights ahead.
I started to fall in some panic - what happens with my bulbs under cover and as I still have few empty spots on my bathrooms windowsill, yesterday I brought a pair of my Crocus pots inside. They got some frost as were hard, but after an hour in quite cold room soil defrosted and today marvellously blooms Crocus ancyrensis. On first two pictures form with light flower tube (traditional) on second two - with more spectacular deep purple flower tube. On another pot with Crocus abantensis buds are coming out and I hope blooming tomorrow. Both were brought in for intercrossing.
Janis

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Luc are you sure thats Wildlife? Maybe Brian Duncan, I think thats a lighter pink/purplish color. Don't have it, but I recall seeing a picture someplace.

Wildlife from last spring

I've obtained is 'Wildlife' Guff..    I guess it's right.
The flower colour is somewhat darker than the picture though !

[Janis Ruksans]

Another pot which I brought in yesterday was with Crocus abantensis dark form originally received from Gothenburg Botanical garden. I wanted to cross it with ancyrensis (see my previous entry). I selected the less advanced pot with ancyrensis and most advanced with abantensis. C. ancyrensis started to bloom if few hours after bringing it, abantensis yesterday pushed out buds and today flowers opened. C. abantensis don't like growing in greenhouse pots - most likely too hot in late spring, so corms are much smaller than on outside grown plants. In result - not so abundant blooming as on ancyrensis. But it was sufficient for pollens for all ancyrensis flowers, and no problems for backpollination with ancyrensis pollens on abantensis flowers.
On last picture you can see my bathrooms windowsill with Crocus pots for pollination.
In greenhouse many pots are with blooms under cover waiting when frost period will end, not so dramatically than with spring blooming colchicums, where all are in full bloom below glasswool sheets, but in any case no very pleasant to see this.
Janis

[Maggi Young]

Picture Sizes:
A reminder that pictures posted to the forum are preferred to be a maximum of 760 pixels wide.

[alpinelover]

Nice crocuses every one.
This is Crocus 'Advance' (photo 1)
And Crocus 'Blue Pearl' (photo 2)
Crocus 'Cream Beauty' (photo 3 and 4)

[Viola]

Spring greeting from my garden.

Crocus veluchensis from  Mount Olympus
Crocus biflorus ssp. weldenii from Croatia
Crocus chrysanthus from Kaimaktkalan
Colchicum dörfleri from Vermion
Colchicum hungaricum from Croatia

Karl