12-10-2003, 11:22 PM
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Already Sprouted Autumn-blooming Crocus Bulbs
In article ,
(Sed5555) wrote:
I've read in the past that planting
well-sprouted autumn crocuses can be like planting narcissus bulbs that
were forced during the winter -- they are depleted & may never fully
"recharge" to naturalize properly.
Are they true autumn crocus (Crocus sativus) or Colchicums? the Crocus sativus
is a member of the iris family and has residual foliage to "recharge" the
corms. But I've heard that the bloom the first year is the best and they
should
be divided every year, so maybe it would be like planting iris corms and it
wouldn't make any difference that they have already sprouted.
The Chochicums are actually in the lily family (bulbs) and the foliage appears
in spring, then dies back before they actually bloom (also called 'naked
ladies'). I would there would be a chance that these bulbs would be depleted,
with no foliage to help them "recharge." But then I'm just guessing.
sed5555
They are Crocus species not Colchicums. The Colchicums weren't on sale &
are fancy ones that cost a great deal so I couldn't afford any of those.
Crocus sativus wasn't among the autumn crocuses offered, though they're a
favorite of mine. I planted C. sativus previously. those are now all up
with short spindly grass patches & bright buds -- should look way cool in
another week or so. Crocus speciosus was included among those on sale at
bulbmeister because sprouted, but I already have those up the wazoo, two
kinds in three patches, so didn't order those. The ones I ordered were
Crocus kotschyanus, Crocus pulchellus & Crocus cartwrightianus, this last
supposedly able to produce up to ten autumn flowers out of each single
bulb, which I'll be happy to see if that really happens. Some people think
C. cartwrightianus is the "parent" of C. sativas, a triploid form that
appeared spontaneously perhaps on Crete then was carted around the world
by traders because saffron was a sacred dye & spice worth more than jewels
-- it wouldn't've spread of Crete otherwise because of the triploid's
sterility.
Last year the C. speciosus were semi-failures. They bloomed well but I
didn't know how extremely floppy they would be. They MUST be planted in a
groundcover that'll hold them up yet not out-compete them in the soil.
This year they're poking out of the evergreen form of Oregon oxyalis,
evergreen ornamental strawberries, & a ground-hugging variegated oregano,
so look much better, though one patch I put amidst semi-evergreen society
garlic & Kent Beauty creeping oregano, neither of which were sufficient to
hold up the crocus blooms, so that patch is a bit of a failure again, the
blooms falling over in all directions just not cool. But this month I
added bulbs of some unusual autumn-grassing muscaris so NEXT year even
that messy patch of C. speciosus should be okay.
I also have a winter crocus, C. laevigatus var fontenayi, & of course
many of the snow-crocuses supposedly "early spring" actually start at the
end of winter, so there are crocuses blooming from September to May. When
I was a kid crocuses were treated like transient things for pre-spring in
the lawn, gone in a trice, but with forethought they can be everywhere for
months on end, & at times when much of the gardens are otherwise dormant.
They're so rewarding I just want to keep adding more species & other
cultivars of those I already have. The ones for autumn & winter being a
bit scarcer have some priority. I do also want Colchicums but once again
find myself putting them off because I just can't afford to buy everything
I want in this world, & some of the really fascinating new offerings in
this genus are still priced in the five to twenty-five dollar PER BULB
range! Hopefully a couple of them will come down to normal price ranges in
a couple more years.
-paghat the ratgirl
--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/
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