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October: Autumn Crocus

There are two distinct plants which are both sometimes referred to as autumn crocus, one is the colchicums, which are members of the lily family and the other is the autumn flowering species of crocus, which are members of the iris family. Both flower during the autumn on naked stems and the leaves emerge in spring. Colchicums are also known as Naked Ladies. Colchicums have larger flowers and leaves than the smaller and more delicate crocus species and while the colchicums are showier they are also much more expensive to buy.

Both types are suitable for borders and can look good naturalised in grass that is not cut while they are flowering then given a trim late autumn and then left not cut again until early summer when the leaves have died down.

The best crocus for grass is probably c. specious which is blue with dark veining, about 5” high and will seed around to make quite a large group over time, provided the mice don’t eat the bulbs. It has a nice showy flower but as with all the others does need good drainage and some sun. There is a white form, c. specious albus.

C. zonatus has pale lilac flowers with a yellow mark and is about 4” tall.

The saffron crocus, c.sativus, is best in planted deeply in rich but well drained soil in a sunny position. The flowers are large and purple with distinct orange sigmas. You would need a lot to get any appreciable amount of saffron though.

Of the colchicums the following are among the widely available:

C. autumnale which has large pink flowers and is quicker to increase than average. Plant them in groups of 3, at a minimum. The pink or lilac cultivars can look good among silver foliage plants. There is also a white form, C. autumnale alba.

C. 'Waterlily' is perhaps the most common of all colchicums. It has double pink blooms wouldn't look out of place floating on a pond. Raised almost a hundred years ago in a Dutch nursery, this variety has proved free-flowering and easy to grow. Unfortunately the extra weight of the flowers can make them to trail on the ground where they become mud-splashed after any heavy autumn rain. One idea is to grow through other plants to provide some support.

CAF