Crocus September 2007

[Thomas Huber]

Did you spot it?

This white banaticus with the soft blue hint came up between dark blue
forms - it even seems to be a shot from the same corm as his blue
neighbour. Are there any white forms in trade with blue style
I have to wait until next year until I know if it is permanent 

[Martin Baxendale]

Thomas, I've just looked at the banaticus seedlings I have flowering now and out of 8 different white seedlings in the garden at the moment all have white styles. Never heard of a commercial white clone with blue style either.

If it's a seedling, it's very interesting. But the small size makes we think it might just be a flower from a blue-flowered corm that's not developed properly and not coloured properly (maybe dry roots, corm damage, rot?) Can you poke around and see what's going on below soil level?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great stuff Thomas - you're rapidly turning me into a Croconut if I don't watch out 

[tonyg]

Martin - great to hear that you have Crocus banaticus seeding around.  As we plan to move in the next year or two I have not planted many new crocus in the garden for some years now.  I hope to experiment with many more when we move ... if I and the plants survive the experience
How freely does C banaticus seed for you?  I assume it is in 'classic' conditions ie moist, humus rich soil or are you going to tell us it does not folllow the 'rules'?  I don't get much seed from it when pot grown, despite having several clones.

[Martin Baxendale]

Hi Tony. My C. banaticus are out in the open ground in semi-woodland but quite Summer-dry conditions (lots of Summer shade from deciduous trees and shrubs, but on a very fast-draining south-facing slope, in high-humus beds that can be damp in the type of Summer we just had or bone dry in hotter summers). They seem quite tolerant provided they're not baked by the sun in bone-dry beds in Summer.

In the past I've hand-pollinated them and got lots of seed, which I've sown and grown on in pots for 2-3 years before planting out. If I don't hand-pollinate, I find I don't get much seed. I've also found generally (crocus, snowdrops, narcissus) that I get better seed production outdoors than under cover, even with hand-pollination.

[mark smyth]

my two are treated badly. One is on the rockery and the other in in a bone dry trough. The latter produces a huge flower every year. None that I know of has produced seeds

[tonyg]

Thanks Martin and Mark.  May I quote you in my Crocus lecture?  Interesting, but not entirely surprising that seed set is better outside and that hand-pollinating makes such a difference.  I grow almost all my potted crocus in frames that are only covered in extremes of weather in winter and during dormancy and have had fairly good seed set on many other crocus.  I hope to have more time for hand pollinating this season (both the girls now at school) and having had some good results from very limited hand pollinating in the past perhaps I will do better.

[Thomas Huber]

Turning into croconut, Luc? Are there any people out who don't like Crocus 

Martin I'm with you, I don't think the white banaticus will be white next year.
Will try to have a look on the corm later.

[hadacekf]

Here are some pictures of presently flowering Crocus serotinus.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

They look splendid Franz !
I hope there's no forecast for heavy wind or rain ....

[mark smyth]

Tony you want to quote that I abuse mine? I dont mind

[Paul T]

Wonderful to see the autumn Crocus.  Had left this thread to catch up with and hadn't realised that there were now 5 pages to it!!  You lots certainly have been busy!!    Good stuff!!

Crocus pulchellus, banaticus and serotinus ssp salzmanii are 3 favourites of the autumn flowerers..... I think that salzmanii has to win for sheer exuberance.  They flower so well and so strongly here for me.  I too have the white form (din't flower for me this year, but the single corm from last year split into a couple of small ones, so hopefully there'll be a couple of flowering sized ones next season) as well as the "normal" one and a darker flowered form that I got from a friend.  They definitely have to be the most prolific flowerers of the autumn ones for me, both in pots and in the garden.  I wish my banaticus did as well.

Thanks so much for the pics everyone.  Hasn't been a good Crocus season for me this year as we had early heat last spring and apparently most of the Crocus tended to split into smaller corms that didn't flower this year.  I am intending to cover the crocus for a while in later spring with shade cloth this season, to try to entend their growth a little longer and hope for better flowering next year.  I'd guess that 2/3 of my Crocus varieties haven't flowered at all this year.  Almost none of the autumns flowered (except a couple of pulchellus and the salzmanii of course) so seeing your autumn flowerers here has been a real joy.

Thanks again everyone.

[mark smyth]

The light levels in Europe have to be much better than ours. The quality of Franz' and Thomas' is fantastic

[Thomas Huber]

Paul - I had the same experience with my spring crocus this year - many havn't sent flowers 

Yes, Mark, we had a great light level in the last few days. Today the sky is cloudy, but no more
new flowers came up for 3 days now. Seems like it was only the first batch, but many more have
to follow - I hope.

Very early this year:
Crocus laevigatus SL171 from Evvia - last year it flowered in NOVEMBER!

Next is the first successful seedling from Crocus-Group seeds 2004:
Crocus pulchellus

Crocus kotschyanus is one of the most floriferous autumn crocus I have.
It's increasing rapidly by corm division, rice grains and seeds.

Finally some impressions from my rockgarden last weekend!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great show Thomas !
Both Laevigatus and Kotschyanus or real stunners
No autumn crocus' in the lawn   Or would they annoy the footballplayer on the last pic too much ??