Crocus bulbs and where to plant them. Autumn planting of crocuses is the key to spring flowering. When to dig up crocuses

Crocuses – low-growing corm ornamental plant from the Iris family. Growing crocuses is perfect for “lazy” gardeners who live in country houses, at the dachas. The fact is that crocuses begin to bloom very early, when there is still snow on the fields, so you can admire their beauty when you are somewhere nearby, and not in a metropolis.

The first name of crocuses is saffron, in ornamental gardening crocus. This is due to the fact that the stigmas of the crocus have yellow, saffron seasoning and saffron dye are also made from them.

Crocuses are very easy to care for and resistant to disease. They will perfectly decorate the lawn, alpine slide, rocky hill or will take their place among perennials.

The place for growing crocuses (saffron) in the country should be sunny or with slight shade, away from roofs, where snowfall is possible in winter.

The soil is dry, light, drained, loose and nutritious, without stagnant water. Crocuses are grown in one place for 3-5 years, after which they are transplanted to a new place.

Planting crocuses

Crocuses, like most flowers, do not tolerate the application of fresh manure before planting. The ideal option is when rotted manure, mature compost and sand are added to the digging. If there is stagnation of water in the area allocated for crocuses, then before planting it is necessary to make drainage (expanded clay or sand). If the soil is heavy clay, add compost and ash.

Do not plant crocuses too thickly, as this will cause the flowers to become smaller. Over time, the thickening of the planting will form on its own. Planting material choose ones without damage or signs of disease. When planting, determine the distance between plants, depending on the size of the corms, from 10 to 15 cm. Large corms are planted at a depth of 8-10 cm, medium corms - at 4-6 cm, and small corms or children are planted at a depth of 2-3 cm.

Crocuses are planted in September-October for spring bloom next year and in July-August for autumn flowering.

Crocuses bloom in spring or autumn, depending on the species. In spring they bloom: Joan of Arc, Pickwick, Remembrens, Crocus angustifolia, Crocus light yellow, Little Dorrit, Largest Yellow. Crocuses bloom in autumn: Crocus sativa, Crocus beautiful, Crocus pretty.

Crocus care

Although crocuses do not require care, they love mineral fertilizers:

• Mineral fertilizers are applied for the first time in early spring when there is still snow.
• The second time - at the time of flowering at the rate of 30-40 g per 1 sq.m.

Crocuses can be harmed by birds, nematodes, and hares. Diseases include rot and leaf rust. Especially hot weather will also not bring anything bad to the crocuses.

Before wintering, mulch the crocuses with peat.

Crocus propagation

Crocuses can be propagated in two ways: vegetatively (by baby corms) or by seeds.

At vegetative way reproduction, all species characteristics of the variety are preserved. Every 3-4 years, crocuses need to be thinned out, since during this time they can create a thickening of the area. Corms are dug up in the summer (June-July) if these are spring-blooming crocus species. When the leaves turn yellow, dry, sort and store until planting or forcing at a temperature of 17-20°C. Crocuses can be propagated as quickly as possible by digging up the bulbs every year.

Crocus seeds are sown in September. Flowering begins after 3-4 years. Crocus nests are propagated during the dormant period in summer.

Forcing crocuses

You can start forcing crocuses in the winter, when there is not much trouble at the dacha, for example, for the New Year or March 8th. It takes 3 months to force crocuses, keep this in mind when planning this event.

To force crocuses, choose only the highest quality spring flowering corms. The larger the crocus bulb, the faster flowering will begin.

In August, dig up the bulbs, keep them indoors at room temperature for 2 weeks, then transfer them to a cool place until forcing.

In autumn (September-October) plant in flower pots or, best of all, in wide bowls, since the number of bulbs planted in one container is usually more than five.

The soil should be moist and light, preferably a substrate, then the bulbs can be preserved after forcing. The planting depth is shallower than usual. The distance is small enough, but so that the bulbs do not touch each other. Cover the containers plastic film, make holes in it so that the plants can breathe and put it in a cold room or even in the refrigerator (in the bottom drawers) for rooting for 2 months.

If there are no options for cooling other than the refrigerator, then, without planting, wrap the bulbs in paper or newspaper and store them in the refrigerator in this state for about a month, this will save space. Then you can plant them in pots.

When sprouts appear in January and are 5 cm long, move the containers to a place with a temperature of 10-15°C (at higher temperature the plants will bloom faster), place on the windowsill and cover with a paper bag, not forgetting to water when the top of the soil becomes dry.

You need to open the plants after 7 days and, if possible, illuminate them with a lamp (if there is insufficient lighting, the crocuses will grow and flowering will become weak).

Containers are brought into the heat when the crocuses show buds. Flowering will begin in about 2 weeks. It will last much longer in cool weather than in warm weather.

Crocuses need to be watered even after they bloom. When the leaves fall off, you can remove the bulbs and store them.

Transplant to open ground maybe in the fall. But remember, when crocuses are forced again, the flowers become smaller.

1. A minimum of difficulties will arise with forcing large-flowered Dutch crocus hybrids; their bulbs are available for sale from August to January.
2. Buy bulbs for forcing crocuses from the second half of August to mid-September, at this time the bulbs are of the highest quality, large and worthy of admiring your eye.
3. When buying bulbs with sprouts, do not assume that they are ready to bloom. They must still go through the process of cooling and rooting.
4. You can plant crocus bulbs in the following substrate: add a layer of earth to the bottom, then a layer of sand, plant the bulbs and fill the container completely with sand. Moreover, you do not compact the sand, then the bulbs will not begin to rot, and the roots will be in moisture. Fertilize before budding.
5. The readiness of crocuses for forcing (transition from cold to warm) and the success of the rooting period can be recognized by the following signs:

• the weakest and lowest sprout should have a length of at least 5 cm;
• feeling the sprout, it should be dense, not hollow;
• Roots should be visible from the drainage holes of the bowl or pot.

Only after such signs are the containers transferred from cold to heat, but not higher than 15 ° C, so that they do not bloom prematurely (the reaction of flowers to a sharp temperature change is more than rapid, in general, like to light). At temperatures of 20°C and above, flowering of plants can last only a few hours.

Water into the tray. When upper layer When the soil dries out, the water is drained from the pan. For better preservation of the bulbs after forcing, pour water into the tray at the level of the roots, slightly below the bottom of the bulbs.

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In spring, crocuses are one of the first to appear in the front garden. Growing these delicate flowers is not difficult if you know the secrets of autumn planting crocuses.

Spring-flowering species and varieties of crocuses must be planted in the ground in mid-September. Crocuses planted at this time will bloom sometime in April-May. Autumn-blooming species and varieties are recommended to be planted at the end of August.

How to choose quality crocus bulbs

The choice of crocus bulbs is not fundamentally different from the choice of other bulbs. At the time of buying seed material pay attention to appearance bulbs

They should not be visible mechanical damage, regrown roots or stems. The bulbs should be dense to the touch, with dry scales. You should not choose soft or broken bulbs, as they have most likely already begun to rot.

Processing crocus bulbs before planting

Before planting the bulbs in the ground, they can be pre-etched in a solution of any fungicide (Fundazol, Maxim, Skor, Vitaros or ordinary potassium permanganate) or growth stimulant (for example, Epina). This is necessary to prevent the development of diseases and the appearance of rot.

Almost all solutions for dressing are prepared in the same proportion - 2 ml of fungicide is dissolved in 1 liter of water.

Before using the drug, be sure to read the instructions on the package.

One ampoule (usually 2 ml) of the drug must be dissolved in 1 liter of water. This amount of fungicide can be used to treat up to 1 kg of bulbs.

When the solution is ready, carefully lower the crocus bulbs into it and leave for 30 minutes. After half an hour you can take them out and start planting. There is no need to rinse the treated planting material.

If you don’t have a fungicide at hand, crocus bulbs can be pickled in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate by literally pouring a pinch of potassium permanganate into 1 liter of water. They need to be kept in the solution for about 30 minutes.

Preparing the soil for planting crocus bulbs

Crocuses love nutritious loamy or sandy loam soil With good drainage. In waterlogged soil, the bulbs may begin to rot. It is better to choose a well-lit place for planting crocuses - in the shade the flowers will be small or may not appear at all.

If the soil on your site clayey and very heavy, it needs to be dug well, adding coarse sand or compost (1-2 buckets per 1 sq.m.). IN clay soil you need to add well-rotted manure, peat and lime at the rate of 0.5 kg per 1 sq.m. Additionally, you can add superphosphate at the rate of 40 g per 1 sq.m.

Superphosphate can be added no earlier than a month after adding lime to the soil.

IN sandy the soil contains insufficient amounts nutrients. Therefore, when digging, it is advisable to add peat, rotted manure or leaf humus at the rate of 5-7 kg per 1 sq.m.

When planting crocuses in loamy or sandy loam There is no need to add additional fertilizer to the soil. It is enough to simply dig the ground to a depth of 20-25 cm.

How to plant crocus bulbs correctly

It is best to plant crocuses in special containers so that the bulbs do not “spread” throughout the flowerbed. If you want to create a voluminous flowering meadow, plant the bulbs quite close to each other - at a distance of about 3-5 cm.

The optimal planting depth for crocuses is three times the height of the bulb.

Small bulbs are usually buried by 5-6 cm, larger specimens by 10-12 cm.

If the winter in your region is too harsh, when a steady cold snap sets in, the planting sites can be covered with spruce branches or fallen leaves. But usually crocus bulbs tolerate even severe frosts well.

What to do when the crocuses fade

After the end of the flowering period withered leaves and the flowers need to be cut off and sown in the place of the empty flowerbed. Crocus bulbs can be left untouched, leaving them in the ground until next spring, or they can be dug up, sorted, dried and stored.

Following our simple tips and following all the steps of the master class, you can easily grow crocuses on your personal plot and you will rejoice in their abundant flowering.

Crocuses, better name you can’t imagine, it reminds me of the Crocus City Hall, but whatever, look below.

For such not capricious flowers ascrocuses, planting and care do not cause any particular difficulties. This plant, which is also called saffron (“yellow” in Arabic), was at first of exclusively economic interest to people. In Europe, who came during the period crusades crocus only in XVI century became decorative. By planting these flowers in a rock garden or flowerbed, you will create a unique spring landscape.

Crocuses - planting

There are two popular landing options:

Planting crocuses with tubers

The lightest and quick way obtaining blooming crocuses. Depending on the type of crocuses, the planting time is determined. For autumn-flowering plants, planting time is summer; for spring-flowering plants, planting time is autumn.

Regardless of the time of year (autumn or spring), for crocuses, their planting and care behind them, you need to pick up sunny plot in the garden. The soil should be light, fertilized, with good drainage from coarse river sand, gravel or expanded clay.

Peat, compost or rotted manure with a small amount of lime are added to the hole before planting. The bulbs must be treated in advance with a bactericidal composition. They are buried by a maximum of 8 cm, children - no more than 5 cm. Flowers are placed more densely in the flowerbed - then it looks more decorative. With the appearance of the first leaves, the soil around the sprouts needs to be loosened. The plant resembles hyacinth, hellebore, and Siberian iris.

Planting crocuses with seeds

Crocus seeds are sown to a depth of about 1 cm in October directly into open ground. When sown in spring, they are kept in the cold in advance. The disadvantage of this method is that flowering can only be expected after several years.

Crocus easily propagates through open ground, even by self-sowing.

Crocuses - care

Planting and caring for crocuses behind them for a long and good flowering must be accompanied by fertilizing. Their fertilization is carried out in three stages - initially before the start of growth, the next time - during the appearance of buds, and the last time - after the end of flowering. Phosphorus and potassium preparations are mainly used. The fertilizer ratio for the first feeding is 2:1, for the rest it is 1:1. Phosphorus stimulates flowering, potassium promotes the formation of healthy bulbs.

Slight autumn and spring frosts Crocuses, when planted and cared for, are easily tolerated, but for the winter, when severe frosts are likely, it is advisable to cover them with peat or spruce branches.

Some gardeners remove the bulbs from the soil after flowering has ended. This allows you to sort through them and get rid of damaged and faded specimens. After sorting, healthy bulbs are dried and stored, until the next planting, in a ventilated, dry place at 18-20ºC. This event also helps protect the bulbs from rodents. It is not recommended to plant crocuses in the same place for more than 4 years - every year the number of flowers increases, while at the same time the soil is depleted and the flowers become smaller.

In spring, crocuses - bright primroses - bloom in the front garden.

Growing them is not at all difficult if you know the intricacies of autumn planting crocuses.

Choosing planting material

When growing crocuses, it is very important to choose the right planting material; the further development and flowering of the plant depends on its quality. When choosing bulbs, you need to take into account that there are autumn-flowering varieties, the planting of which differs in timing. Spring primroses are planted in autumn.

1. When choosing bulbs, inspect them carefully. Healthy planting material has no signs of damage, overgrown roots or damage.

2. Good onion should be firm to the touch, with no soft spots.

3. You should also pay attention to the scales. At the onion good quality they are dry.

4. You should not buy seed material if there are signs of rotting at the bottom of the bulb.

Preparing crocus bulbs for autumn planting + photo

Before placing the bulbs in the holes, they must be processed and disinfected. This will protect the planting from damage. To prevent disease and rot, the bulbs are pickled in a solution of potassium permanganate. Fungicides are also used for this purpose. Good results treatment with Fundazol, the drug "Skor", "Vitaros". The working solution is prepared at the rate of about 2 ml of the drug per 1 liter of water. The resulting solution is enough to treat up to 1 kg of crocus bulbs.

Planting material is dipped into the prepared disinfection solution and left for half an hour. After this, they begin planting the bulbs. Treated bulbs should not be washed.

Important! You can treat the seed material in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The bulbs are kept for about 30 minutes.

Choosing a place for a flower bed

Autumn planting Crocus growing begins with choosing a location. Please note that crocuses prefer sunny places, without stagnation of moisture, the excess of which leads to various diseases. For full flowering they need light. In the shade of trees, the buds may not bloom.

The soil on the site should be loose and nutritious. Heavy soils are not suitable for growing spring primroses. Helps improve soil condition river sand. It is brought in for digging, which makes the soil looser. If the soil is not very nutritious, then it is advisable to add potassium, phosphorus and mature compost. Fertilizers containing nitrogen are not used when growing crocuses.

When choosing a place for planting crocuses in autumn, give preference to quiet corners of the garden, where there are no drafts or cold winds. Strong gusts of wind can break fragile plants.

Let's start planting bulbs

How to plant bulbs correctly? Experienced gardeners It is recommended to plant bulbous plants in special baskets. They will protect crocuses from rodents and make it easier to dig up plants.

Growing crocuses without baskets, the bulbs are placed on the bed, leaving a distance of about 5-7 cm between them. Looks very good blooming carpet from bulbous plants. To do this, the bulbs are planted tightly, at a distance of 3-5 cm.

The depth for autumn planting of crocuses depends on the size of the bulb. Larger ones are planted to a depth of 10-15 cm, and smaller ones - 5-8 cm. How to determine the depth of planting material? The optimal depth is equal to the height of the bulb multiplied by 3.

Crocuses are frost-resistant plants, but in regions with harsh climates it is better to mulch the bed with spruce branches or dry leaves. In spring, all mulching material is removed, the planting site is carefully loosened, trying not to damage it. root system plants.

Caring for crocuses after flowering

Crocuses need to be dug up annually. After flowering, which ends in July, it is necessary to cut off the entire above-ground part of the plant. Soon they begin digging up the bulbs. They are carefully removed from the ground with a pitchfork, trying not to damage them. Next, the bulbs are washed, sorted and sorted. After drying and airing, which lasts about 7 days, the planting material is stored.

Crocus bulbs should be stored with a gradual decrease in temperature. At the first stage, the bulbs are lowered into the basement, where they are laid out in a single layer. After a few weeks, the planting material is placed in the lower section of the refrigerator, where it is stored until planting. Optimal time Planting of bulbs is considered mid-September - early October.

How to force crocuses

Experienced gardeners grow crocuses in pots. Wherein flowering plant can be received by a certain date. But for this, forcing crocuses must follow all the rules.

1. From planting to flowering, it takes from 3 to 3.5 months or 15 weeks. This must be taken into account when forcing crocuses for the holidays. To obtain a blooming specimen for the New Year, crocus planting is carried out in the fall, namely, in mid-September.

2. All bulbs must undergo natural preparation in certain temperature conditions. To do this, bulbs are purchased in the summer and stored at a temperature of 30 degrees for about 7 days. Next, the planting material is lowered into the cellar, where it is stored until mid-August. Further storage of the bulbs occurs in the refrigerator at a temperature of 5-7 degrees.

3. Crocuses are planted in a prepared container.

4. The bulbs are placed very close to each other, not like in a garden bed. The fact is that the plant does not grow in such conditions and does not produce children.

5. River sand is used as a substrate when forcing crocuses. Good drainage is provided at the bottom of each container.

Forcing crocuses is a very simple task; knowing all the rules, even a novice gardener can handle it.

Difficulties in growing crocuses

Beginners often complain that growing crocuses does not bring results and the plants do not bloom. Why is this happening?

Lack of flowering indicates improper care.

The bulbs were dug up prematurely, which disrupted the natural development cycle.

The above-ground part was cut off too early; the leaves are removed after they are completely dry.

Violated temperature regime storage of bulbs. First, planting material is stored at high temperature, gradually reducing it. Final stage storage takes place at very low temperatures.

The absence of flowering indicates that the bed has degenerated. Crocuses need rejuvenation of plantings once every three years. If all this time they have been grown without digging, then it’s time to plant the crocuses.

On bulbs damaged by rodents, buds do not set. Planting crocuses in special baskets for bulbous plants will protect them.

Some varieties of crocuses bloom in the fall, so when purchasing bulbs, be sure to ask what variety they are.

Despite small size crocuses, gardeners love them very much. After all, they are completely undemanding and easy to care for. In addition, crocuses are planted in the fall, which allows you to admire them in the spring. blooming flowerbed. Once you become familiar with all the intricacies of growing bulbs, it will go without much effort.

Crocus (lat. Crocus), or saffron, forms a genus of herbaceous corms of the Iris family. In nature, crocus saffron grows in the steppes, forests and meadows of the Mediterranean, Central, Southern and Northern Europe, Lesser and Central Asia and the Middle East. Scientists have described about 80 species and 300 varieties of crocuses. The name “crocus” comes from a Greek word meaning “thread, fiber,” and the word “saffron” comes from an Arabic word that translates as “yellow,” which is the color of the stigma of the crocus flower. Crocus is mentioned in Egyptian papyri - philosophers and doctors wrote about it. For modern gardeners, crocus is interesting because it is one of the most beautiful primroses - early spring flowers. However, not everyone knows that there are many crocuses, blooming in autumn.

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Planting and caring for crocuses (in brief)

• Landing: Spring-flowering species are planted in autumn, autumn-flowering species in summer.
• Bloom: spring species They bloom for 2-3 weeks in April, autumn ones - in September-October.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• The soil: permeable light loams; some species are comfortable even in heavy clay soils.
• Watering: will be needed only if there was no snow in winter and no rain in spring.
• Feeding: complete mineral fertilizer in the spring on snow and potassium-phosphorus during flowering. Organics cannot be used.
• Reproduction: daughter bulbs, and spring species can also be propagated by seeds.
• Pests: field mice, wireworms, aphids, thrips.
• Diseases: viral diseases, gray mold, fusarium, penicillosis, sclerotial rot.

Read more about growing crocuses below.

Growing crocuses - features

Crocus is a low-growing plant, reaching a height of about 10 cm. The flattened or rounded bulbs of crocuses reach a diameter of 3 cm, they are covered in scales and have a bunch of fibrous roots. The stem of crocuses does not develop. Appearing during or after flowering, narrow, linear, basal leaves are collected in a bunch and covered with scales. Single goblet crocus flowers with a diameter of 2 to 5 cm in white, cream, blue, lilac, purple, yellow or orange color, blooming on a short leafless peduncle, are surrounded by membranous scales. There are varieties of crocuses with spotted or two-colored colors. Mass flowering of crocuses lasts from two to three weeks. Types and varieties of crocuses are divided into 15 groups.

Planting crocuses in open ground

When to plant crocuses

Spring crocuses are planted in the ground in the fall, and autumn-blooming ones in the summer; a sunny site is chosen, although crocuses grow well in partial shade and even in the shade. The soil for growing crocuses is preferably light, dry, loose and nutritious. When preparing a site for crocuses, it is advisable to place fine gravel or coarse river sand in the soil for drainage. As an organic additive, compost, rotted manure or peat with lime are added to the soil for digging, since acidic soils They don't like crocuses. Ash is added to clay soil. For those species that do not tolerate wet soils, arrange raised beds with crushed stone or gravel as a drainage layer. Planting material must be without flaws or damage.

In the photo: How crocuses bloom

Planting crocuses in autumn

To see crocuses bloom in the spring, their bulbs are planted in open ground in September. Planting crocuses in loose soil involves planting the bulb to a depth twice its size. If the soil is heavy, then a depth of one size will be sufficient. The average distance between the bulbs is from 7 to 10 cm. After planting, the area is watered.

Do not thicken the planting, because crocuses grow in one place for 3 to 5 years, and during this time one bulb becomes overgrown with a whole colony of children, and the area with crocuses turns into a continuous carpet of flowers. After the five-year period, the crocuses need to be planted.

Planting crocuses for forcing

Many gardeners yearn in winter without their favorite garden flowers, so even in winter time They grow them in their apartment. The easiest way to grow a bouquet is from bulbs, including crocuses. Large-flowered Dutch varieties are most suitable for forcing. Crocus bulbs of approximately the same size are planted from five to ten pieces in shallow wide pots in order to obtain a whole bouquet of primroses by the appointed time. The soil for crocuses planted for forcing must be neutral, loose, air- and water-permeable.

The cycle of autumn-blooming crocus usually begins in August with flowering, during which the growth of leaves and the formation of a replacement corm occurs. And their dormant period begins a month earlier than that of spring-flowering ones. Therefore, if there is such a need, you need to dig up the bulbs of crocuses blooming in autumn from early June to mid-August.

Storing Crocus Bulbs

After being removed from the ground, crocus bulbs are dried in the shade, cleaned of soil, dead roots and scales, and laid out in a single layer in a box or box. The smallest bulbs can be placed in candy boxes. Until August, the storage temperature should not be lower than 22 ºC, because more low temperature will interfere with the formation of flower buds. In August, the temperature is lowered to 20 ºC, and a week later to 15 ºC. But this ideal conditions storage facilities that are created only in specialized farms. At home, before planting, crocus bulbs are stored in a dark, dry place with room temperature and good ventilation.

In the photo: Growing crocuses in the garden

Types and varieties of crocuses

All varieties of crocuses are classified into 15 groups. The first group includes autumn-flowering crocuses, and the remaining 14 groups represent spring-flowering species and varieties of crocuses. The spring crocus species was the basis for many varieties and hybrids, most of which were created by Dutch breeders. The most popular commercial varieties are classified as Dutch hybrids. Another popular group of commercial varieties in cultivation is Chrysanthus, which was formed by hybrids between golden crocuses, two-flowered crocuses and its hybrids. We offer you a brief introduction to these groups and their best varieties.

Spring-blooming types of crocuses:

Spring crocus (Crocus vernus)

Grows up to 17 cm in height. The corm is flattened, covered with mesh scales, the leaves are narrow, linear, dark green with a longitudinal silver-white stripe. Lilac or white flowers with a long tube of bell-funnel shape, one or two, develop from a single corm and bloom for about three weeks in the spring. In culture since 1561.

In the photo: Spring crocus (Crocus vernus)

Crocus biflorus (Crocus biflorus)

It is found in nature from Italy to Iran, as well as in the Caucasus and Crimea. Has a variety of natural forms: with flowers white, lilac-blue with brown spots on the outside of the petals, white with violet-brown stripes, white on the inside and violet-brown on the outside. The throat of the flowers is white or yellow.

In the photo: Crocus biflorus (Crocus biflorus)

Golden crocus (Crocus chrysanthus)

Grows on rocky slopes of the Balkans and Asia Minor. It reaches a height of 20 cm, its corm is spherical but flattened, the leaves are very narrow, the flowers are golden-yellow with bending, shiny leaves. outside perianths. Some forms have brown stripes or markings on the outside of the petals. The anthers are orange, the styles are reddish. Blooms in April for three weeks. In culture since 1841. The following varieties are common in floriculture:

• Blue Bonnet– flowers up to 3 cm long with a pale blue perianth and a yellow throat;
• Nanette– a variety with large yellow-cream flowers with purple stripes on the outside;
• I. G. Bowels– crocus with very large bright yellow flowers with inside and gray-brownish on the outside.

In the photo: Golden crocus (Crocus chrysanthus)

Crocus tommasinianus

It grows naturally in deciduous forests and on hillsides in Hungary and the countries of the former Yugoslavia. It has pink-lilac perianth leaves, sometimes with a white border along the edge. The open flowers are star-shaped with a white throat. The flowers have a white tube. Up to three flowers up to 6 cm high develop from one corm. This species blooms in April for three weeks. Crocus Tomasini, one of the most popular species, has been in cultivation since 1847. The most famous varieties:

• Lylek Beauty– wide-open, almost flat flowers up to 3 cm in diameter with yellow anthers and oval-elongated narrow lobes lilac color outside and more light shade from the inside;
• Whitewell Purple- large, wide-open, almost flat lilac-violet flowers up to 4 cm in diameter with narrow elongated lobes. White tube up to 3.5 cm long.

In the photo: Crocus tommasinianus

In addition to those described, the following spring-flowering crocuses are known in culture: narrow-leaved, reticulated, Crimean, Korolkova, Imperate, Zibera, yellow, Geufel, Ancyra, Alataevsky, Adama, Corsican, Dalmatian, Etruscan, Fleischer, Malya and the smallest.

Autumn-blooming crocuses:

Beautiful crocus (Crocus speciosus)

It grows on the edges of forests in the mountainous regions of Crimea, the Balkans and Asia Minor. Its leaves reach a length of 30 cm, lilac-violet flowers with longitudinal purple veins up to 7 cm in diameter bloom in early autumn. In culture since 1800. Known garden forms This species has dark blue, white, light blue, lilac and light purple flowers. The best varieties:

• Albus– white-flowered variation with a cream-colored tube;
• Artabir- flowers of heaven blue color with bracts covered with dark veins;
• Oksinan– flowers are violet-blue with a wide dark perianth and sharp, elongated leaves.

In the photo: beautiful Crocus (Crocus speciosus)

Pretty Crocus (Crocus pulchellus)

Very beautiful plant with light purple flowers with dark stripes, the diameter of which is from 6 to 8 cm, and the height is from 7 to 10 cm. 5-10 flowers open on each plant in September or October. The pretty crocus is not afraid of light frosts.

Banat crocus (Crocus banaticus)

Grows in the Carpathians, Romania and the Balkans. The name was given in honor of the historical region of Banat, located in Romania. It has linear silver-gray leaves up to 15 cm long. Graceful light lilac flowers with yellow anthers rise 12-14 cm above the ground surface. The outer tepals are up to 4.5 cm long, the inner ones are narrower and half as long. Cultivated since 1629.

Autumn-flowering crocuses are also grown: beautiful, Pallas, kholmovoy, Sharoyan, Gulimi, holoflowered, kardukhor, medium, Cartwright, Kochi, trellised, medium, yellow-white and late.

In the photo: Banat crocus (Crocus banaticus)

Dutch hybrids, or large-flowered crocuses, are unpretentious and prolific spring-flowering plants, the flowers of which are on average twice as large as the flowers of the original species. The first varieties of Dutch hybrids appeared in 1897. Now there are more than 50 of them, and they are divided into groups according to the color of the flowers. The first group includes varieties with flowers of pure white or white with a spot of a different color at the base of each bract lobe. The second group combines varieties with violet, lilac and lilac colors. The third represents varieties with netted or striped flowers with or without a spot at the base of the lobes. Hybrids bloom during May, flowering lasts from 10 to 17 days. We recommend several varieties that grow well in our climate:

• Albion– white goblet-shaped flowers up to 4 cm in diameter with rounded lobes, with a tube up to 5 cm long with a rare purple streak;
• Vanguard– cup-shaped, open bluish-lilac flowers up to 4 cm in diameter with elongated oval lobes with small spots of a darker color at the base, with a bluish-lilac tube up to 4.5 cm long;
• Jubilee- goblet-shaped flowers of blue color with a barely noticeable purple-violet tint and with a clear light purple spot at the base of the lobes, as well as a narrow light border along the edge. The tube is light purple, up to 5.5 cm long;
• Sniper Banner- goblet-shaped flowers up to 4 cm in diameter with oval lobes of a netted color - a light grayish-lilac shade on the outside and with a dense lilac net on the inside. The lobes of the inner circle are of a lighter shade than the outer lobes. At the base of the lobes there is a small but very clear dark lilac spot. Tube up to 4 cm long, dark lilac color;
• Kathleen Parlow– cup-shaped flowers of white color up to 4 cm in diameter with a short lilac streak at the base of the inner lobes and with a white tube up to 5 cm long.

Chrysanthus

Spring-flowering hybrids, in the formation of which golden crocuses, natural forms of two-flowered crocus and their hybrids took part. The flowers of plants in this group are not as large as the flowers of the “Dutch” ones, but among the chrysanthus there are many varieties with yellow and bluish flowers. The most famous varieties:

• Gypsy Girl- cup-shaped, wide-open flowers up to 3.5 cm in diameter, light yellow on the inside with a dark yellow throat, and yellowish cream on the outside. There is a small brown spot on the inside of the lobes. The tube is up to 3 cm long, cream-colored with dusty purple streaks;
• Marietta- wide-open, almost flat flowers up to 3.5 cm in diameter with oval narrow dark cream lobes with a yellow throat, outside at the base of the outer circle lobes, covered with thick dark lilac stripes, a greenish-brown spot. Tube up to 3 cm long, light gray-green;
• Lady Killer- cup-shaped, almost flat flowers up to 3 cm in diameter with oval elongated lobes white on the inside, the lobes of the inner circle are white on the outside, and the outer ones are dark purple with a white border and a small dark bluish spot at the base. Bud purple, a tube up to 3 cm long of a dark purple-violet hue;
• Saturnus- wide-open, flat flowers up to 3.5 cm in diameter with slightly elongated tips of the outer circle lobes. The color is yellowish-cream with a bright yellow throat. On the outside there is a greenish-brown spot at the base, the lobes of the outer circle are streaked with thick lilac strokes. The tube is grayish-green, up to 2.5 cm long.

In the photo: Glade of crocuses

From the latest achievements of breeders, the following varieties of chrysanthus are on sale: Ai Catcher, Miss Vane, Parkinson, Skyline, Zwanenburg Bronze and others.