This is the third of a post that encourages you to plant the first-blooming flower where the snow melts the earliest. You won’t be able to remember the exact location of where the snow first melted unless you have taken photos while it is melting. When the snow has melted, write down any locations that you remember. If all else fails, try these suggestions. Today, I will share with you all that I know about the crocus.
You’d be mistaken if you looked at American catalogs for crocuses. There are actually many different kinds, including Dutch crocuses and species crocuses. There are so many types of crocuses that an whole book has been written about them. (read my review). Unfortunately, not all are hardy enough for my climate. I have found some crocuses that are hardy in my climate. As a bonus they bloom earlier than Dutch or species crocuses, which are commonly sold here.
The crocuses that have dark centers are Crocus korolkowii “Black-Eyed Beauty”. Crocus leonidii “Early Gold” is the slightly paler flower without a dark eye. The “korolkowiis I had before became a rodent treat a few winters ago, and their early appearance has been missed.
The very early crocuses are a good taster for the real show in the lawn. By planting on the lawn, I can avoid the voles’ predation, as they don’t bother digging in the unamended, rocky clay.
The crocuses on the lawn are beautiful, but somehow they seem to be lacking. The big crocuses bloom before the small crocuses in the second planting. This leaves big gaps. It’s probably time to add another 400 corms. The stump of a maple that we had recently cut down can be seen. If you click the image to enlarge, you will also see snowdrops at the upper left.
The bulbs I have listed are: First planting here . The second planting took place 25. Crocus vernus The ‘Twilight,’ 200 Scheeper species crocus mixes and 100 large flowering mixtures. The plant lists of the Crocus bank at the old house include Here is a link to the article .) Some of the crocuses I was able to identify, even though some bulbs came from mixes that were not labeled.
Crocus sieberi “Firefly” is the first flower to appear.
Crocus argentifolius “Cloth of Gold” is also an early one.
Crocus Cyrsanthus Snow Bunting is fragrant and early.
The older variety ‘Queen of the Blues,’ is becoming harder to find.
The lawn has not been planted with ‘Gaudeamus.’ There is a space between the first and second lawn plants. I have started to plant some crocuses so I can move them into the space when I see it. The new ‘Gaudeamus” is from Odyssey Bulbs.
Crocuses: a few more facts
Crocuses are native to areas where the summers are hot and dry. Crocuses will not grow well on your lawn if you water it frequently or use chemical weed killers. Old House Gardens offers some additional tips. These lawn crocuses have been planted in the roots of an oak and maple tree that were cut down. These trees kept the area dry during summer. I’m worried that my crocuses may not thrive without them. I hope not!
What about the rodents? Squirrels and chipmunks are around, but they do not bother my bulbs on my unmaintained lawn. It’s easy for them to eat bird seed out of the feeders. It’s also not easy to dig, whether for me or them. The garden beds have a completely different story. The voles are there before the squirrels and chipmunks. For several years, I’ve thwarted their efforts by covering the bulbs in grit. ( Learn more about grit using. This gave me three years’ worth of flowers before there was suddenly none. This is enough time to move them from the garden onto the lawn where they won’t be eaten.
You should also know that I am not the only one who has trouble planting crocuses. Carol Michel, of May Dreams Gardens , plants 1,000 crocuses in just a few hours . This is a service for the entire neighborhood. I hope you’ll consider doing it in your garden. Naturally, I will understand if squirrels have different ideas.
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