On Sun, 10 Nov 2002 22:12:21 -0000, "trevor.appleton"
wrote:

At this time of year all the gardening magazines and papers show beautiful
pictures of this plant. Straight upright growth, gorgeous lilac flowers.

Why is it that however I grow them - under trees in soil, in short grass, in
long grass, in window boxes, in containers, they always flop over and end up
as a heap of lilac slush on the ground - basically an unsightly mess and
not in the least attractive.(also in full sun, partial shade, or total
shade).

Is there a way of successfully growing these?

Success[1] with Crocus speciosus is, afaict, purely a matter of
luck with the weather, with secondary contributions from the
choise of site. The long tubes of the flowers make Crocus
speciosus very delicate, as you know, and they simply can't
handle any serious weather (wind, rain).

I like to plant them on the sunny side of a conifer, where the
boughs overhead give them a little shelter from rain, and the
wind is somewhat abated. Thus sheltered, you have a better chance
of a reasonably attractive display than a shattered mess.

YMMV


[1] "success" meaning unbroken flower tubes as described in the
OP's first paragraph.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada