Colchicums..a pretty autumn-flowering bulb

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colchicums..a pretty autumn-flowering bulb
by importer
Posted on 24th October 2012
This month, instead of focusing on a cut flower, I thought I’d turn to garden flowers which are in bloom at
the moment. If you’ve been out and about enjoying the sunny autumn days we’ve been having lately, you
may have spotted delicate Colchicums, which look very similar to spring-flowering crocuses… I captured
these pretty little blooms recently, where they’d been planted at the base of some trees. And this particular
variety is called Colchicum speciosum.
The name Colchicum comes from Colchis, a mountainous area that borders the Black Sea in Georgia,
which is home to many of the species. And their common names include meadow saffron and autumn
crocus. From August to October, their goblet-shaped flowers appear in colours ranging from white, lilacpink and purplish-pink to purple, with their glossy leaves appearing in the spring.
When people think of bulbs to add colour to their garden, they often think of spring-flowering bulbs, like
hyacinths and narcissi. But if you’d like to plant these autumn-flowering Colchicums, make a diary note to
buy the corms next July or August. Then plant them in the ground in small clumps of six or more in full sun
or dappled shade. Alternatively, plant them in containers.
And if you’d like to have a splash of colour inside your home, these dainty little bulbs are quite happy to
flower on a windowsill indoors, without compost or water.
Do look out for them if you’re out and about this weekend…
Thanks for reading!
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