This is March 2012. The winter has been very mild. I was pleasantly surprised on my return from Pakistan to find these crocus's out. I quickly set out to cleaning my flower beds. I did not want the dead leaves to delay the budding of my daffodils, hyacinths or tulips. I am pleased to report that the buds are peeping out.
I am adding info from my web search so that we may learn more about crocus's.
Crocus
A sure sign of spring, crocuses have low-growing, colorful, cup-shaped flowers that are a welcome sight in garden beds and lawns.
About This Plant
Mass plantings of colorful crocuses herald the start of spring, sometimes poking their flowers right up through the snow. Because the plants flower so early, crocuses adapt well to planting in lawns and will multiply over time to cover large areas. Select varieties that mature at different times to extend the bloom season. Flower colors include blue, violet, striped, yellow, and white, and height ranges from 3 to 6 inches. While most crocus flower in spring, the saffron crocus is a fall-flowering crocus that is planted in spring.
Special Features
Easy care/low maintenance
Multiplies readily
Site Selection
Select a site with full sun to light shade and well-drained soil.
Planting Instructions
Plant crocus corms in fall, six to eight weeks before a hard frost is expected and when soils are below 60 degrees F. This is usually during September and October in the North, and October and November in the South. Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost. Set the corms about 4 inches deep, setting them so the pointy end faces up. Cover with soil and press firmly. Space corms 3 to 4 inches apart, and plant in groups of 12 or more for the best effect. Water thoroughly after planting. You may also plant the corms directly into the lawn. If you have trouble with mice and voles eating your crocuses, plant the corms in buried wire cages.
Care
Keep crocus bed watered during dry spells in the fall. In cold areas, cover newly planted beds with a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch to help retain moisture and insulate the corms for winter. If bulbs are naturalized in lawns, wait to mow until the foliage has died back.
Info from the Wikipedia:
Crocus (plural: crocuses, croci) is a genus in the iris family comprising about 80 species of perennials growing from corms. Many are cultivated for their flowers appearing in autumn, winter, or spring. Crocuses are native to woodland, scrub and meadows from sea level to alpine tundra in central and southernEurope, North Africa and the Middle East, on the islands of the Aegean, and across Central Asia to western China.
The name of the genus is derived from the Greek krokos (κρόκος). This in turn is probably a loan word from a Semitic language, related to Hebrew כרכוםkarkōm, Aramaic ܟܟܘܪܟܟܡܡܐ kurkama, Persian and Arabic كركم kurkum, which mean saffron or saffron yellow.[1] The name ultimately comes from Sanskritकुङ्कुमं kunkumam, unless the Sanskrit word is from the Semitic one.[2][edit]
Etymology
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History
Cultivation and harvesting of crocus was first documented in the Mediterranean, notably on the island of Crete. Frescos showing them are extant at theKnossos site on Crete[3] as well as from a comparably aged site on Santorini.
The first crocus seen in the Netherlands, where Crocus species are not native, were from corms brought back in the 1560s from Constantinople by the Holy Roman Emperor's ambassador to the Sublime Porte, Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq. A few corms were forwarded to Carolus Clusius at the botanical garden inLeiden. By 1620, the approximate date of Ambrosius Bosschaert's painting (illustration, below), new garden varieties had been developed, such as the cream-colored crocus feathered with bronze at the base of the bouquet, similar to varieties still on the market. Bosschaert, working from a preparatory drawing to paint his composed piece spanning the whole of Spring, exaggerated the crocus so that it passes for a tulip, but its narrow, grasslike leaves give it away.
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Description
The cup-shaped, solitary, salverform flowers taper off into a narrow tube. Their color varies enormously, although lilac, mauve, yellow and white are predominant. The grass-like, ensiform leaf[4] shows generally a white central stripe along the leaf axis. The leaf margin is entire. Crocuses typically have three stamens. The spice saffron is obtained from the stigmas of Crocus sativus, an autumn/fall-blooming species.
Some Crocus species, known as "autumn crocus", flower in September to November in the Northern Hemisphere. Some flower before their leaves appear. Autumn/fall flowering species include:Crocus banaticus (syn. C. iridiflorus), C.cancellatus, C. goulimyi, C. hadriaticus, C. kotschyanus (syn. C. zonatus), C. laevigatus, Crocus ligusticus (syn. C. medius ), C. niveus, C. nudiflorus, C. ochroleucus, C. pulchellus, C. sativus (saffron crocus), C. serotinus, C. speciosus, C. tournefortii. Crocus laevigatus has a long flowering-period which starts in late autumn or early winter and may continue into February.
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Species
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The taxonomic classification proposed by Brian Mathew in 1982 was based mainly on three character states:
The seven species that have been discovered since then have been integrated into this classification.[5]
Molecular analysis carried out at the University of Copenhagen suggests that this classification should be reviewed. In particular, the DNA data suggest that there are no grounds for isolating Crocus banaticus in its own subgenus Crociris, even though it is a unique species in the genus. Because it has a prophyll at the base of the pedicel it therefore would fall within section Crocus, although its exact relationship to the rest of the subgenus remains unclear.
Another anomalous species, Crocus baytopiorum, should now be placed in a series of its own, series Baytopi. Crocus gargaricus subsp. herbertii has been raised to species status, as Crocus herbertii. Perhaps most surprisingly, autumn-flowering Crocus longiflorus, the type species of series Longiflori(long regarded by Mathew as "a disparate assemblage"), now seems to lie within series Verni. In addition the position of Crocus malyi is currently unclear.
DNA analysis and morphological studies suggest further that series Reticulati, series Biflori and series Speciosi are "probably inseparable". Crocus adanensis and Crocus caspius should probably be removed from Biflori; Crocus adanensis falls in a clade with Crocus paschei as a sister group to the species of series Flavi; Crocus caspius appears to be sister to the species of series Orientales.
The study shows "…no support for a system of sections as currently defined", although, despite the many inconsistencies between Mathew's 1982 classification and the current hypothesis, "…the main assignment of species to the sections and series of that system is actually supported." The authors state that "…further studies are required before any firm decisions about a hierarchical system of classification can be considered" and conclude that "future re-classification is likely to involve all infrageneric levels, subgenera, sections and series".[6]
- Dig the site you’ve chosen and loosen the soil.
- Add some coarse sand or fine gravel to the soil to help improve the drainage.
- Add 5-10-5 fertilizer, and mix it well.
- Set the crocuses 5 inches deep, but more if your soil is sandy.
Information about crocus bulbs or corms
An early spring bloomer, crocus “bulbs”, are technically corms. Like corms, they have a definite up end and down end. They are solid inside like a potato if you cut them open, and they have a papery outer covering which is called a tunic.
The crocus corm that you plant in autumn gets completely used in the process of growing and flowering the following spring; it will simply dissolve and fade away. Right before the crocus plant goes dormant, it will make a new corm. In fact, each crocus usually makes many corms.
Where to plant crocuses
Crocuses thrive in cold to moderate winter conditions such as those in climate zones 3 to 7. They will fail to grow in hot climates.
Crocuses are small corms, so they dry out faster than large bulbs. The best time when to plant crocus is early in autumn, as soon as you can buy them. Plant them in the open rather than the shade (unless you live in the South) because crocuses like plenty of sunshine.
You can plant them in the lawn, but for proper crocus care, don’t cut the grass until their leaves turn yellow and disappear. Remember, too, that weed killers will harm them, especially if you apply them while the crocus plant leaves are still green and actively growing.
Crocuses prefer a gritty or sandy, well-drained soil. A rock garden or herb garden is a great site to plant them, and small perennials that grow in such places make good plant companions.
In the rock garden and herb garden, you will want to plant crocuses under creeping phlox or mat-forming thymes. Your crocuses will come right through the ground-hugging plants. This also makes a nice display and keeps the crocuses’ flowers from getting splashed with mud when it rains.
Steps for planting crocuses
To plant crocus plant corms, just follow the steps below:
Crocuses have an upside that sometimes has the tip of the shoots showing. The bottom of the corm is flattened. Don’t worry too much about which side is up during crocus flower care and planting; crocuses have contractile roots which just means they will adjust their position downward if they feel the need.
Article printed from Gardening Know How: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com
URL to article: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/flower/how-to-plant-crocuses-and-proper-crocus-flower-care.htm
