Posted by admin | Posted in Flowers and plants database | Posted on 17-02-2010
Tags: autumn-flowering Crocus, crocus banaticus, fall-blooming bulbs, fall-blooming crocus, lilac flowers, scented fall flowers, scented flower
Most people are very surprised to admire Crocus in bloom from September to December, but it is true. There are Autumn-flowering Crocuses, invaluable for their late-flowering, goblet-shaped flowers with showy insides. They are dwarf perennials with underground corms which give rise to the foliage and autumn flowers. The leaves are narrow and mid-green with silver-green central stripes, appearing at the same time or just after the flowers. All types of fall-blooming Crocus are easy to grow in the right conditions, and look excellent when planted in groups in a rock garden. Rapid-spreading crocus, like Crocus ochroleucus, are useful for naturalizing in grass or under deciduous shrubs. Crocus banaticus is effective planted in drifts at the front of a border, but do not allow it to become swamped by larger plants.
Most popular Crocus species are Crocus goulimyi (it could make beautiful pot flower), Crocus laevigatus fontenayi (one of the latest to flower and long lived Crocus), Crocus longiflorus (a wonderful scented Crocus), Crocus medius (very showy crocus), Crocus pulchellus (very special colored Crocus – pale lilac with a few violet lines and a yellow centre), Crocus nudiflorus (the autumn Crocus of Pyrenees), Crocus speciosus (Crocus which increases rapidly and is ideal for naturalizing),
How to grow Autumn-flowering Crocus
Fall-blooming Crocuses grow in gritty, well-drained poor to moderately fertile soil, in full sun. You have to reduce watering during the summer for all types of Crocus except Crocus banaticus, which prefers damper soil and will tolerate partial shade.
Autumn-flowering Crocuses are often the garden’s last special guests and blooming friends.