Crocus February 2012

[ronm]

Is that the commercial form, C minimus 'Spring Beauty' Luc. It really is a beauty, so floriferous and tough. A very worthy garden plant I think. It has been said that every one is virus infected, but I have seen it in a number of collections and it has appeared to be fine. What have you found?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

It has been grown from seed many moons ago Ron - not by me, but by a generous friend ! 
And of course you're right, it is C. minimus - sorry for the typo ! 

[ronm]

It is lovely Luc, is'nt it? Never mind the typo! Whenever I attend garden club meetings this is always one of the favourites. Congratulations,

[Roma]

Crocus etruscus
Crocus biflorus ssp.weldenii 'Fairy'

[ronm]

Lovely plants Roma. The subtleness of the grading in colour on the 'Fairy' is really appealing. Very, very nice 

[udo]

after a period with temperatures under -20° C

protection over the beds yesterday
2 hours later:
Crocus adanensis
Crocus hartmannianus
Crocus flavus ssp.sarichinarensis 2x , thanks Janis

[bulborum]

I found a nice nearly white Crocus corsicus five years ago
and killed the bulb almost by collecting it
but here are the results after five years

Roland

[art600]

An attractive addition 

[Janis Ruksans]

after a period with temperatures under -20° C

protection over the beds yesterday
2 hours later:
Crocus adanensis
Crocus hartmannianus
Crocus flavus ssp.sarichinarensis 2x , thanks Janis

Nice view of protection. Season was horrible for W Europe. Erich wrote me that in his garden C. goulimyi leaves after this frost period looks as hay. Here it is nothing special. Of course minus 37 is quite hard here, too. But I'm happy that glasswool helped. Of course I still don't know what is underground. Keep fingers crosseed...
Nice to see my sarichinarensis in bloom.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

I found a nice nearly white Crocus corsicus five years ago
and killed the bulb almost by collecting it
but here are the results after five years

Roland

Fantastic!
Janis

[Gerry Webster]

I found a nice nearly white Crocus corsicus five years ago
and killed the bulb almost by collecting it
but here are the results after five years
Roland

I'm glad you have been able to keep this going Roland. I think it was last year that both Tony G & I  commented that, in our experience, the white form of C. corsicus was not at all vigorous.

[bulborum]

It was in-between rocks
and cost me almost one hour to collect
but it was the first good one I found after a week searching
of-course the bulb was damaged after collecting
now waiting for the day it will multiply
only one shoot for this year
so normally only one bulb for next year

Roland

[johnw]

Roland - What a beauty your find White Mountain is!

johnw

[ronm]

Very lovely and very special plants all.    ( especially that 'White Mountain' )

[tonyg]

A wonderful Spring day here.  Fabulously warm ... but don't want it to stay like this!  Too warm for the bulbs if this weather were to hang around.  Great crocus weather though.

First a mystery crocus.  Gift from a friend (Art thou reading this?)   Labelled as biflorus ssp perhaps it is Crocus chrysanthus but it does not look like any other chrysanthus that I grow.

A nice seedling of crocus sieberi ssp sublimis in the Tricolor vein.  The flower is very 'dumpy' broader petalled and chunkier than the trade form.  I like it ... but then I would!

Large Crocus sieberi possibly crossed with Crocus veluchensis alongside smaller Crocus kosaninii

After the school run I took a look at the Cemetery crocus and the roadside hybrids that I have reported on before.  Neither site was as good as in previous years.  The roadside ones took a double battering recently.  First the council came to cut back the trees under which the crocus grow.  Heavy vehicles and big feet aplenty   Then after an early start when January was too mild, we had a week fo snow, ice and freeze which did more damage.  I guess they'll recover.  In both places I think flowering may have been affected by the very hot and dry March/April weather last year which put many bulbs into early dormancy.