My first Colchicums have opened this week, about 2 weeks ahead of schedule in my area. They should be blooming for the next 2 months. This is the smallest cultivar I have, C. agrippinum. The leaves stay quite small unlike most which have large, floppy leaves. Anyone else have autumn crocus pics to share?
Hi Todd!
Lovely! When did you plant them? Am I too late by now?.... :-(
It has been SO HOT here that I didn't really know what to do...
Now is the time to plant...actually August is even better, but in your area, I'd say you would be OK through September and into October. In my area, the propblem is getting the bulbs established before the ground freezes. In your area, fall rains would be the trigger to starting growth.
Thank you Todd!
Todd, I had to come back.... "ground freezing" really made me giggle... I wish! LOLOLOL...
Wow, I must be chasing MyH around! Just told another thread how my yellow crocus are up and right by my front door. So happy and welcoming every day. love 'em.
I planted these fall crocus bulbs that I got from Buggycrazy in mid Aug. (speckled lavendar Colchicum) More coming, but I made a mistake in planting them where my DDs (dear dogs) like to take a short cut through. They mangled one clump already. You sometimes can't teach a dog a new trick, so I will move them. When? I love them so far. Patti
bbrookrd, your is also C. agrippinum. Early August is the best time. They are sending out new roots now so I would not recommend moving them at the moment.
Todd_Boland. Should I dig them in late fall and store them for planting next summer or should I leave them until spring and then dig and hold again them for the mid August planting. Or just wait until next Aug when they start to break and try to move them to a more friendly spot. I loved seeing your plants photos this summer. Between what you posted and Boojum, I have some new loves in the plant world and am much the poorer for it. Thanks, Patti
Patti, leave them where they are until the foliage dies away next June-July. Once the foliage is mostly brown, you can dig them and either replant in a new area or store them in a warm, dry place until you see signs of life (late August-early Sept) then replant them.
Todd
Thanks from my part as well, I was just going to ask the same thing! :-)
Here are my "sweeties" this morning. so cute.
Thanks for the replanting advice. I am going to put up a little barricade to keep my dogs from doing more damage between now and next summer. Patti
Pegdog, those are Sternbergia..I think they are called autumn daffodil. They are not hardy in my area but I wish they were. They are lovely bright colour for the fall season.
OoooooooHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh, that's good to know. Thanks Todd. No wonder they didn't look quite right, as "crocus." I never know if i am zone 6 A or B ... sometimes 6b things grow and flourish and other times, dead. So, I buy for 6a. These must be happy here, though.
My C Waterlily is open too!
I've been looking for that one! I have a descent collection but I am significantly lacking 'Waterlily'
Ditto, I always wanted agrippinum, but these things cost a fortune so I restrained myself!
I set mine out when in the green in spring from the originals and have quite a few now. Most are where perennials are getting tatty, but they do best there on a slope, perhaps get more sun too and at the lower end so keep more moist. Some others I put earlier in a shrubby shady border and they don't flower as well, I have some double white ones there too but they get hidden. The originals I planted deep near the south wall and they multiplied well but seemed to be sporadic in flowering, perhaps too dry.
I might move them in spring if I can decide where they should go!
I don't know if you can get them from here
http://www.nextag.com/Growing-Supplies--zzcolchicumz2700473zB6z5---html
Yes, the Colchicums are rather expensive...a friend has a white C. speciosum which cost him about $25 Canadian (10 pounds). All of mine actually came from one of our local Colchicum growers, a British gentleman with an overall love of bulbs, especially Colchicum, Crocus and Cyclamen. His Colchicums have multiplied quite quickly (thus I question why they are so expensive) and he has been nice enough to pass many my way. He has Waterlily but that is the only one that has not increased much. I have also gotten some true autumn crocus from him as well, but they mostly flower about a month after the Colchicums.
Hurricane Florence, with her 50 mm of rain, should stimulate the remaining colchicums and autumn crocus.
I started with 3 Waterlily probably 7 years ago, only 2 grew and they seemed to skip a year in turn and are not doing so well in the more shady, shrubby area (plenty of leaves) but are doing well on the slope. I think because they can take some time to establish, and possibly a few years to multiply, may be the reason for the price.
The white, C autumnale alboplenum I thought wasn't going to grow, but it did appear eventually after a year. It did appear last year in the shrubby bed, I think it's later than Waterlily, but still too crowded and shady I think. If it reappears I may move it to the other bed, even if the bed does look tatty it may do better there.
I think I got mine from de Jagers, which disappeared, does anyone know what happened to them?
B&B had this one at $8 but sold out, also Waterlily 5 for $16, cheap!
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/search/listgenus.php?id=11
That link above worked last night.
No sign of mine yet :(
I looked today for the white ones, one of them is just peeping through but they are buried by shrubs.
Some more Colchicum are now out. Here is 'Lilac Wonder'
Colchicum byzantinum. This one has very stiff stems so the flowers stay upright rather than flop. Lilac Wonder is one of the floppy kinds.
And more C. agrippinum are open.
That must be something that won't survive down here because I've never even heard of them--but then there's lots of things I've never heard of. And now, after seeing your beautiful pics, I want them even more--zone envy here. =)
Debbie
But I have heard of the Sternbergia's.
This message was edited Sep 17, 2006 2:22 PM
No sign of mine yet. But your beautiful pics have me looking forward to Oct when mine should be blooming.
Does anyone have experience with Colchicum seeds? Mine generated quite a lot in the spring and I was wondering how many years it took for seeds to grow into something that could bloom.
Here's some of my best lot, what you can see of them. The spot seems to suit them well, they look to be sending up several stems. They were split and planted only in spring last year and most were only small bulbs. they tend to make several from the one but are joined as if in one bulb.
I suppose they brighten up the area, most other plants are in their die-back stage, and moss is appearing everywhere.
(well it says click the image, not appearing! problems last night still occuring! best leave it to show up if and when)
This message was edited Sep 18, 2006 1:16 PM
I managed to find Waterlily locally! One of our nurseries brought in Colchicum this year...Lilac Wonder (had it already) and Waterlily. I grabbed one immediately. Only $2.69 per bulb...very reasonable price. It will probbaly be a couple of weeks before it blooms as the new sprout is just forming. I'll post once it's open.
Well there you go, they must have known you wanted it!
try again for a pic
I don't believe it! I posted a pic earlier on another thread and it worked!
here we go.......
Very nice! Looking forward to seeing mine flower!
I can't believe how tall they are this year, look at this
A multiplied clump
And they mature to a deeper pink
At least they are stiff enough to stand upright...Lilac Wonder stems are so weak they flop all over the place. The effect is not particularly attractive.
They used to flop when I had them by the south wall, perhaps they need to be a little cooler, not sure what the reason is as September isn't always this warm.
Could it be the bulb has better substance once it grows new ones in the soil and so makes a stronger stem?
Rain often makes them mush, and we haven't had any for a week or so.
The next in my series is out. This the Colchicum 'The Giant'
