Plant of the Month - Crocus

Vibrant & autumnal.

Plant: Crocus “Dorothy”

A surprising pop of colour amongst the autumn foliage, the yellow crocus appeared suddenly overnight. Often thought of as a spring flower, crocus are also available as an autumn flowering variety. Coming from the iris family, the low-growing, lily-like perennials produce dainty flowers and wispy grass-like foliage.

The genus name “Crocus” comes from the Greek word “krokus” – meaning saffron! A particular type of purple crocus, the Crocus Sativus, is grown for its stigmas, which are picked ever-so-carefully, dried, and then sold as saffron. We don’t grow this particular type here at Entally, preferring the yellow Crocus “Dorothy”.

Crocus plants grow from corns – as the avid gardener knows, corns (and bulbs & tubers), require certain conditions to break their dormancy and emerge beautifully from the ground. Traditional spring flowering crocus need a minimum fifteen weeks of chilling to break their dormancy, therefore needing to be planted in late summer/early autumn. Autumn flowering crocus however, need to be planted in late winter/early spring, to develop a strong enough root system to push up those stunning flowers.

Heads of up to four blooms top the short stems, growing no more that 15cm high. Each flower has six segments, with long stigmas in the centre, ranging from white to yellow, and shades of lavender to deep purple.

And where to plant these blooms? They’re particularly suited to rockeries & shallower gardens, as they don’t require much depth for their roots, and like a sunny position. When planting, make sure the flat side of the corn is facing downwards, and plant approx. 4cm apart. Ensure they’re in well-draining soil to keep them from rotting, and free of disease & mold.

After they bloom, crocus will die off quickly as it cools. As the flowers fade, dead head at will. If you would like to propagate them for the next year, dig them up before the first frost, and divide the clumps.

At Entally, vibrant yellow crocus appear mid-autumn every year, in the two small garden beds at the Front Door of the House, where the wisteria grows. One day, they suddenly appear, and bring a spot of life to two otherwise uninteresting autumn beds.