The elegantly goblet-shaped flowers bloom without foliage in September, when many gardens begin to look tired. The color is more intense ...Read Morethan the perennially big-selling 'Lilac Wonder'. Colchicum flowers often fall over after a day or so---they stay upright longer if grown through a low groundcover. I'm not a believer in "bigger is better", but with colchicums the extra size of its flowers helps them to stand out above their companions. I always look forward to their appearance, and I'm always disappointed that they last so briefly.
Each corm produces multiple flowers in succession over 2-3 weeks. Because the corms multiply rapidly by offsets, I'm inclined to plant them 12-18" apart. They aren't cheap, but even a single corm will soon produce a substantial display if you dig and move its offsets every couple of years when the foliage goes dormant. Corms should be purchased for late summer delivery and planted immediately, or they will bloom in storage. "The Giant" is one of the most widely available.
The glossy spring leaves are big and beautiful, though their demise is not pretty. Broad, straplike, to 1' long, they rise in earliest spring and go dormant in June. As the corms multiply, the clump of foliage tends to smother its spring neighbors.
This plant performs well in full sun to part shade. It does well in the shade of deciduous trees. I think of colchicums as among the more shade-tolerant of bulbs---similar in their requirements to daffodils, and just as easy.
Good drainage is essential. Consistent moisture is needed only when the leaves are active in spring. Too much water leads to corm rot, especially during summer dormancy. Colchicums perform well under large deciduous shrubs and trees, whose roots absorb any excess moisture in summer. All colchicums are intolerant of standing water.
All parts contain toxic concentrations of colchicine, and are not generally bothered by herbivores. Leaves, corms, and flowers are vulnerable to snails and slugs.
Soil pH can be acid, neutral, or alkaline, as long as it's well drained. Colchicums tolerate poor soil, but quickly show their appreciation for added organic matter.
Colchicums are commonly called autumn crocus or meadow saffron. Both names are correct but misleading, as it is not a crocus, nor does it produce saffron. There are true crocuses that bloom in the fall, and among them is the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus.
"Naked ladies" usually refers to Amaryllis belladonna.
Very beautiful lavender/ pink flowers. I ordered some Giant Colchicum bulbs on the internet last year. The bulbs were already starting to...Read More sprout when I received them in mid-September. I popped them in the ground, and I had flowers blooming in just a few days. They bloomed for about almost a month in my garden (until mid-October).
One of the hybrids produced in Holland in the early 1900's, this is my least favorite; its colour is an insipid pink and it's big and blo...Read Morewsy so that it falls over in our rather wild climate. However, it increases well, and some people like things big!
The picture I've added illustrates the distinguishing features of this variety: pale pink tessellated petals gradually fading into the white centres, over 3 inches long, and brown not yellow anthers. (It has been so dull lately that I had to pick a flower and bring it indoors to get it to open for the picture!)
The elegantly goblet-shaped flowers bloom without foliage in September, when many gardens begin to look tired. The color is more intense ...Read More
Very beautiful lavender/ pink flowers. I ordered some Giant Colchicum bulbs on the internet last year. The bulbs were already starting to...Read More
One of the hybrids produced in Holland in the early 1900's, this is my least favorite; its colour is an insipid pink and it's big and blo...Read More