Crocus vernus
Crocus
Common names: Spring crocus, Garden crocus
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 2 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- Low
Photo: Bernd Haynold · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The crocus is one of the first spring heralds, opening its cup‑shaped flowers in violet, white, and yellow often as early as February when the snow melts. The small corms thrive well in lawns and under shrubs. The first open flowers provide bees with valuable early pollen.
Care instructions
Plant the corms in September or October at a depth of about 8 to 10 cm in well‑drained soil on a sunny spot. If you allow them to naturalize in the lawn, mow only after the crocus foliage has fully yellowed and withered. Corms are susceptible to rot in water‑logged conditions, so choose well‑drained sites.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
PlantingSep–Oct
HarvestFeb–Mar
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, humus-rich, well-drained, lime-loving
Plant crocuses in loose, humus-rich and above all well-drained soil. Waterlogging is the main killer, otherwise the corms rot. Sandy to moderately heavy soils are ideal; loosen heavy clay with sand. Crocuses tolerate a wide pH range from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline (about 6.0 to 7.5) and are frugal in this respect.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
When planting in autumn, work some mature compost into the planting spot. In early spring (March to April), when the first tips appear, you can lay a thin layer of compost or rake in some horn shavings shallowly. The short growing season needs no more. Avoid nitrogen-heavy feeding, because it drives leaf growth at the expense of flowers. Naturalised stands in meadows or under trees and shrubs usually get by entirely without feeding.
Overwintering
Crocuses are true spring bulbs and overwinter in the soil without any trouble. No digging up, no winter protection needed. Plant the corms in autumn a hand's depth in free-draining soil without waterlogging, let the foliage die back after flowering and, if needed, protect the corms from voles with a planting basket.
Propagation
Methods
- Offsets
- From seed
You propagate the crocus (Crocus vernus) most reliably via cormlets (daughter corms). When the foliage has turned completely yellow and died back after flowering in spring (usually June to July), carefully lift the clusters of corms from the soil with a digging fork. The small daughter corms are easy to separate from the mother corm. Sort out damaged or very small pieces. Store the corms dry and cool until you plant them again in September or October, about 5 to 10 cm deep and roughly 5 to 8 cm apart, tip upwards. From cormlets the plants usually flower after one to two years. This also guards against the crowding problem in old, dense stands and keeps flowering power high.
Sowing is possible, but much slower: the seeds ripen in capsules after flowering and can be sown freshly harvested in autumn directly outdoors. Frost provides the necessary cold stratification naturally. Alternatively, sow in pots in autumn and place them in a cool, frost-free spot so the seeds get their cold period. In the first year the seedlings look like delicate chives and need 3 to 4 years until the first flowering. Sowing is not suitable for true-to-type garden forms (cultivars), as the offspring differ. Here you are better off sticking with cormlets. For wild forms and for naturalising, on the other hand, sowing is well suited.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
For your garden
Grow Crocus yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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From the magazine
Naturalising Spring Bulbs in the Lawn: the Flower Carpet That Returns Every Year
Scatter crocus, snowdrops and daffodils into the lawn once, and they come back every spring and multiply. Here is how to build a natural flower carpet, from autumn planting to the one iron mowing rule.
Planting spring bulbs in autumn: depth, timing and vole protection
How to plant tulips, daffodils and crocuses in autumn: twice as deep as tall, at the right time and protected from voles.
Foraging Wild Garlic Safely: Telling It Apart From Its Three Dangerous Look-Alikes
Foraging wild garlic is easy once you know its poisonous look-alikes. Here is how to tell it apart from lily of the valley, autumn crocus and lords-and-ladies, and how to gather it hygienically.