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Crocus in Oz

© Gary Buckley

Crocus are a much neglected plant in this country. They make a delightful addition to any rock garden. And before you coastal Mainlanders say we are not cool enough, why not keep them as treasured pets in pots? In stinking hot Geelong, Victoria, I thought we would have to buy them in each year, for this bunny certainly was not going to dig and chill each year.The solution for heat and not lifting, is to over the winter months, buy a few bags of party ice and place a stack of ice over the top of your dormant corms. If you do this once or twice a week for a month or so, then you too will be rewarded with glorious blooms; even in a climate with limited chill factors.

And let's face it, the effort is well worth while, for looked at as a genus they flower from late summer to spring and most increase well from offsets and seed.

Here are some I hope you too will want to grow:

Crocus ancyrensis. Early and free flowering species from Turkey with numerous deep orange flowers in the winter.

Crocus angustifolius. Known for centuries as the "Cloth of Gold Crocus" this extremely beautiful vernal bloomer is easy in the garden and will form good clumps. Deep orange-yellow inner petals, the outers suffused deep bronze. (Gorgeous.)

Crocus asturicus. A very robust and reliable autumn bloomer, lovely dark purple flowers with strikingly orange-red style. From Spain and good garden plant.

Crocus asuminae. A rare but locally abundant autumn-flowering species from S Turkey. From the sativus group - large eye-catching red three branched stigma within a goblet-shaped white/pale lilac flower. Likes a dry Summer.

Crocus banaticus. An autumnal treasure for a woodland setting. Very large iris-like blooms in pale mauve or lilac with feathery white or yellow styles. Crocus biflorus ssp biflorus. The type plant from a large and variable tribe. These are Italian from seed collected in Calabria. Free-flowering cheerful blooms striped metallic - purple on a creamy ground colour. Spring. Crocus biflorus ssp ? biflorus. From the most easterly occurring population of this species. Collected by us on Rodos, close to the Turkish mainland. Some have the black anthers that are characteristic of ssp nubigeus, so maybe not so clear cut. Brown striped on a rich yellowish ground. Gorgeous!

Crocus biflorus ssp pulchricolour. Another lovely member of the biflorus tribe.

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