How To Grow Autumn Crocus or Colchicum

Autumn crocus (the real name is Colchicum) is one

of two commercially available bulbous type Crocus plants that bloom in

the fall.

In flower from September to late October, this wonderful blooming plant

brings a last gasp of bulb beauty to bear.

They are very easy to grow in spite of their odd flowering time.

The most commonly found plant is C. autumnale and except for the fact

that the blooms are lavender-pink or light purple you'd have a hard

time telling them apart from the spring blooming crocus.

(Well, other than the fact that they bloom six to eight months apart

that is.)



Do note that the flowers come up in the fall without leaves and that

leaf growth is a spring thing. ?The leaves grow in the spring

and then go summer dormant - then the flowers come in the fall.



Varieties to Look For

If you get a little tired of same-old, same-old autumn crocus plants,

you can even find double-flowering varieties.

The violet coloured 'Waterlily" variety is the most commonly available

and when you see its colour in the fall garden, you'll understand why.



But if you happen to want a large display, try planting a C. bysantinum

with its very large corms, each one of which can produce up to twenty

purplish-pink flowers.

The variety 'Giant' will produce very large violet flowers blooming in

mid-September to October and these can reach 25 cm in height (that's

around 8 inches tall)



'Giant'

The corms can be planted in the fall, they may indeed flower from an

early September planting date.

Leave them in the garden because the next spring, they will produce

leaves. These leaves grow and then disappear by mid-summer.



Plant Warning

Colchicum corms are poisonous so do not allow children to play

or handle these corms.



Shopping Resources for this Page

Click here to find Colchicum bulbs

http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/autumn-crocus.html