CROCUS SPRING BULBS ARE THE MOST COMMMONLY FOUND BULBS IN GARDENS

Crocus Spring Bulbs Can Make Quite A Show

The most popular of the crocus spring bulbs are those that no longer take after their wild predecessors. The dramatic appearance of crocuses is especially stunning when planted in large groups. If you have the space to allow,the massive planting effect of 100 to 150 corms then by all means do it. The word corms is an identification for this type of bulb. Corm only resembles a bulb on the outside but is indeed quite different. They have the identical protective covering and basal plate as the bulb. They,however,do not grow in layers but instead the corm itself is the actual base for the stem. As the flower appears,the corm withers as the nutrients are consumed.

This basically renders the corm as a dead one. There is no need to be sad the crocus spring bulbs produce a brand new corm next to or above the dead one. This is the reason for the return of your crocus year after year after year. It does,however,take a number of years for it to acquire its blooming size. Well having that off of my chest,we can continue on about crocus.

CROCUS SPRING BULBS IN ALREADY THE GROUND WILL RETURN EARLIER

Those crocus spring bulbs that you planted two seasons ago will always come up sooner than the ones just planted last fall. The calyx-shaped flowers only appear when MR.sunshine is beaming away in the sky or sometimes when there is enough light. They are like humans in respect to both rain and night,they stay closed to the world. Crocuses are oustanding in the lawn and look just as good in the perennial garden as a very attractive border plant. The lawn is the spot to achieve a very natural looking effect. However,this is not the spot to group your crocus bulbs together but rather to scatter them around and plant them where they fall. It is not impossible to plant varying colors of crocuses in the lawn. The blue and purple ones are the best subtle touch to your lawn. There is a good proportion ratio which should be followed if you have the desire to mix it up.I would use 50% blue and purple,25% yellow,15% white,and 10% striped. There is one drawback to this beautiful lawn arrangement and frankly one that has kept me from doing it. By planting crocus spring bulbs in your lawn,you will not be able to mow your lawn for six weeks after the flowering of the plants to do so will interrupt the profuse flowering of your crocuses in the next season.

The other choice is just choose a small portion of your lawn,depending on your layout,to experiment with this type of flower arranging. I know in my lawn a six week wait would require a machet and a few hints from the next door neighbor like gee it rained a lot this spring don't you think.

However in your garden the crocus spring bulbs will make a gorgeous showing. The joy is that you have come to appreciate a perennnial blooming long before the other perennials have even started to emerge. The lack of foliage mass and such early flowering makes them an excellent candidate for planting over other bulbous plants. The other bulbous plants such as tulips and naracissi will definitely take over flowering where the crocus have left off.

The most important varieties in the crocus spring bulbs are the following:

Flower Record:shiny violet mauve
Grand Maitre:lavender-violet
Jeanne d'Arc:pure white
King of the Striped:violet with lighter stripes
Pickwick:very pale blue striped with white
Purpureus Grandiflorus:violet-purple
Queen of the Blues:deep blue with lighter margin
Remembrance:deep blue-violet. This is best for indoor forcing
Striped Beauty:viloet stripes on white background

CROCUS PROVIDES A VERY VALUABLE PRODUCT SAFFRON

I find this to be an interesting history lesson in the crocus spring bulbs world. Saffron was obtained from the crocus by drying the stigmas of crocus sativus over an open fire. Saffron was mention many times in the ancient world particularly in Egypt and even in the bible. It was of value in the production of medicine and dye. Incidentally saffron is still utlized in India in marriage ceremonies. It is a very costly item which was even used as currency or used in heavy trading. The most important of this species belongs to the autumn flowering crocus. Here is the specification for the Crocus:

Flower colour: yellow, white, purple, striped and bronze
Flowering period: early season
Average plant height: 7.5-12.5 cm
Planting depth to base of bulb: 12.5 cm
Spacing between bulbs: 2.5 cm
Light requirements: full sun to partial shade
Landscape uses: borders, rock gardens, in lawns, under shrubs and trees, and for indoor forcing

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