Fall-blooming Crocus (and a Bit About Colchicum)

Crocus pulchellus, the hairy crocus, is a fall blooming crocus.

Plant fall-blooming crocuses for delightful drifts of color when little else is blooming. The fall-blooming crocuses belong to the iris family and are not to be confused with autumn crocus, a misleading common name often used for Colchicum, an unrelated plant that is a member of the lily family. Depending on variety, these plants will bloom for weeks from September into November, and even into December in milder climates. After blooming, allow the plants to die back naturally so they will replenish the bulbs for next year's blooms. Grassy leaves will appear in early spring, and then the plant will go dormant for summer.

Crocus pulchellus, also called hairy crocus, is a relative of the more common Crocus speciosus, another fall bloomer, but it has paler blooms and shorter, sturdier stems than its cousin. "Pulchellus" is latin for "pretty," and it is one of the loveliest fall-blooming crocuses. Its luminous goblets are pale lilac with deeper veins, accented by yellow throats and orange anthers.

Crocus pulchellus grows four to six inches tall. Plant the corms in late summer to early fall in hardiness zones 5-9. They do best in well-drained soil in a sunny location, though they will tolerate partial shade. Plant them 3 inches deep and about 3-6 inches apart.

Fall-blooming crocuses may flop, especially after a hard rain, so plant them in low ground cover or a good layer of mulch to help them stand upright. Locate them in rock gardens or in front of shrubs or around trees. They are beautiful when naturalized in lawns. They produce bulblets all around the parent corm and may spread fairly rapidly. They also do well in containers.

Bees and pollinators are attracted to fall-blooming crocuses. These are beautiful, low-maintenance plants with few pests, except, unfortunately, for mice, squirrels and voles. If these are a problem, you can bury them in wire cages. 

I planted ten Crocus pulchellus about a month ago, along with a giant colchicum. I found theses at Myers Plants and Pottery in Pelham, Alabama. The colchicum came up and bloomed within a couple of weeks, but the crocuses just began to bloom yesterday. I will definitely be planting more of both. It is easy to see how fall-blooming crocus and colchicum are confused, because some of them look a lot alike. Don't worry if you get them mixed up. They have similar requirements, and they look good together. Both have selections in shades of blue, violet, pink, and white. A variety of these little beauties will perk up the fall garden just as other plants prepare for winter sleep.

To compare, see photos of my colchicum in my previous post: Hanging in There, not Dead Yet!

Hanging in There, not Dead Yet!

Drought and burning temperatures persist. Here is what my front garden looks like now:

The arborvitae ferns (in the foreground) are turning brown in the triple digit heat. The azaleas above them are turning yellow, definitely not a good sign. The good news is that neither the ferns nor the azaleas are dead yet, and the temps are predicted to be 15-20 degrees cooler next week. We may even get some rain this weekend. So if we can hang in there a little longer, things may get better. 

The 50% chance of rain makes me nervous. I would like better odds. Too many times black clouds have hoodwinked us with unfulfilled promises. I took these photos just last week, but the deceptively dark clouds passed over without releasing a drop:

I usually can find beauty in the garden, no matter what. I can appreciate the dead stuff, but it would be easier if the following shots were taken in November or December:Nature created this collage of prematurely dead leaves.

A dead branch fell on a chair in my woodland garden, creating an accidental composition that appealed even to my drought weary eyes.

Leftovers from a squirrel banquet made me genuinely smile. Someone really enjoyed those pinecones!

Despite the premature aging in the garden, there are spots of color. Autumn crocus is a delight. I put these in only a couple weeks ago, and already Colchicum 'The Giant' is blooming. These were an experiment, and I plan to plant more:

Spider lilies (Hymenocallis) appear like magic every year, supplying bright color for very little maintenance:

Eupatorium coelestinum, also called hardy ageratum and blue mistflower, are favorite wildflowers. They will reseed themselves around but are easy to pull, and I do not consider them invasive:

Somewhere in my closet are long-sleeved shirts. I am looking forward to digging them out. I may even sit a pumpkin or two outside to celebrate the new season, once the temps drop enough so that they don't cook in the sunshine.