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| From In the Garden |
Crocuses are bulbs that are usually planted in the previous fall for a spring bloom (spring blooming crocuses-I am not addressing fall bloomers). I plant mine about 4" deep and give them a good pinch of either bone meal or a bulb booster. They need full sun to do their best and only open when the sun is shining on them. That's the quirky part of their personalities.
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| From In the Garden |
I mainly grow two varieties of crocuses. The light purple ones are Crocus tommasinianus 'Lilac Beauty' and the yellow ones are Crocus venus 'Yellow Mammoth'. Both have proven longer lived in my garden than other cultivars of crocuses. In fact, they are multiplying nicely and I especially love this! They are all a welcomed sign of spring this year in the garden.
What is your Plant of the Month for March?
My crocuses began blooming February 19th this year and are still going strong. In 2008 they began blooming on February 7th, and in 2009 they began their bloom on February 11th. It is so interesting to be able to look back at the differences in blooms during the years. If you have not already begun your spreadsheet of blooms in your garden it's not too late for 2010. Go ahead and get started now.
For bloggers missing the picks at Blotanical, Stuart says they should be up soon as soon as he can access the server that processes that information.
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
In the Garden
I love these little flowers, they are so pretty being so close to the ground. I need a whole bunch of them.
ReplyDeleteTina girl (picks are working this morning : ) I am so jealous of you seeing those tiny stars in your garden already .. so bright and cheerful ! We are still frozen here in the Great White North .. but I have lots to look forward to and I keep that positive ? thought in my brain as long as possible ? LOL Great sunny pictures of those sweet bulbs girl !
ReplyDeleteJoy : )
I planted 30 crocus bulbs this year and every afternoon my husband goes outside to count how many are up, we have 28 so far...not bad huh? Yours are beautiful. The ones I planted were a mix, so far only the gold ones have bloomed.
ReplyDeleteI love crocus! They have always been a favorite. I planted 100 in the orchard this year...no sign of them yet, but I'm waiting!
ReplyDeleteFinally -- someone near my zone has evidence of SPRING! Beautiful colors.
ReplyDeleteSnow on the ground here. It's getting tiresome.
Great choice Tina. I have a couple Crocus in a container and when I saw them opening it just made me smile. Still waiting on my Edgeworthia to open....last year it was open on Feb. 14th.
ReplyDeleteDawn, They definitely look best massed. The yellow ones show up like crazy.
ReplyDeleteJoy, I hope you guys thaw out soon so your garden will bring forth its great beauty for you. The picks were not working when I tried it. I asked Stuart on Twitter and he said he has been unable to get to the server. Maybe soon.
Darla, 28 is an excellent number!
Jeanne, They should be in bloom any day. They'll look great in an orchard.
Cameron, The weather has been so odd this year! Normally you guys would be ahead of us. I tell you it is still mighty cold and gray here but no snow.
Janet, They sure mean spring to me too. In Maine they would often bloom in the snow. A hardy soul indeed.
I don't have any crocus but must try naturalizing them in the lawn, where the voles will really have to work if they want them! I love the Tommies.
ReplyDeleteMy plants of the month would have to be Prunus mume and Winter Honeysuckle. They are the only things blooming now and they are so fragrant!
Here, crocuses are April, but I love them. They are my favorite "common" bulb. The purple and white-striped ones are my favorite favorite! (I've also been taken with fritillaries and snow drops!)
ReplyDeleteHere in south Georgia it's been the coldest winter I can remember. I haven't seen anything blooming but a stray daffodil here and there.
ReplyDeleteCrocus is a perfect choice for plant of the month.
ReplyDeleteHere, spring is a time of mud and still very cold temperatures. I have very few plants that bloom in this transition period.
Marnie
It's the witch hazels~they are still blooming. I am beginning to see more crocus...Now if the sun would show it's gorgeous face. gail
ReplyDeleteAny plant of the month would have to be a house plant here in Maine. However, I do have the wonderful Crocuses up a couple of inches so it will not be too long before I see pretty purple and yesterday I did some raking in the front garden and I have daylilies poking out of the ground. Can't beat that for March in Maine. The Crocuses are always so wonderfully cheery. I just love them.
ReplyDeleteI love the lavender ones! I just planted Crocuses for the first time last Fall. My garden is so mixed up this year I don't know what my plant of the month is. The Hellebores are still looking great and the Pulmonaria just getting going too.
ReplyDeletethose lite purple crocuses are simply amazing. the bright orangey in the middle just brings out the sunshine. if they look good in pictures, i'm sure they look really amazing in real life (either that or you have a pretty incredible camera lol).
ReplyDeleteI love Crocuses besides being so pretty they are one of the first to bloom and ya know spring is here. Before I knew one flower from another there was a house that had a steet on each side of it coming to a point next to a main street and that point was solid crocuses it was some show - all purple.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning all! Can you believe we had snow flurries yesterday? Calling for mid 70's by Sunday so things really should begin to pop open here!
ReplyDeleteI do not have one crocus in my gardens. I did not have Daffys until last spring. We have major Mole and Vole problems in our yard and we suspect the Moles make the tunnels and the Voles move in and eat the bulbs. Argggggg, if the daffys pop up from last year, I may consider planting some crocus for next year…
I just love crocus. You don't see the yellow variety too often, but they really brighten up the garden :^)
ReplyDeleteSweet Bay, They are a bulb that would well in a lawn. I was hesitant to try that but I think I might this fall since they are up and gone prior to lawn mowing; which is coming. The prunus mume is awesome.
ReplyDeleteMonica, I planted both snowdrops and frittilaries and have seen neither hide nor hair of them. Darn! I hope they show. Any tips would be appreciated.
Dot, It has been a cold one indeed but spring is near. Welcome back and glad you got moved.
Marnie, Glad you like my choice and ever so happy your Dad is doing better.
Mom, Going to school at Longfellow one year I distinctly remember the crocuses showing thru the snow. I've loved them ever since. Yours should be blooming soon.
Catherine, The crocuses will fit right in with your garden. Shhh don't say the garden is so mixed up or it might be offended and just give it all up. Enjoy your show-quite a bit earlier than us here in the southeast.
Cheshire, Ha! My camera is six years old and simply an Easyshare. I love it. Everyone (think just about everyone who has a newer camera or one with a zoom) laughs at it but I can't see buying a new one when this one is perfectly suitable. I can't take nice zoom pictures but it is okay. I bought it for the family way back when and had no idea I'd be blogging one day and using it all the time-for other things not including the family. Oh the irony. I'm glad you enjoyed my close up of the crocuses. They are most cheery. The stamens are very visible in the purple ones too.
Linda, I'd love to have solid crocuses. My goal now I just need some patience. I bet that house is spectacular.
Noelle, Yes, the yellow ones look like a big smile in the garden.
I don't have any crocus as of yet. Will have to try to get some.
ReplyDeleteThe only things blooming for me now is Snow drops, forsythia, & buttercups. Still a tad cool here for much of anything. I don't like those late winter freezes. I did manage to get my potatoes planted.
Sun is out now but windy.
Crocuses are such a welcome sign that spring is almost here. I keep looking for signs of mine, but still no luck. The last of the snow all seems to be piled up on my flowerbeds:)
ReplyDeleteWow, crocuses in February! I'm jealous but thanks for sharing yours. They are a delight to see. I'm hoping Maine crocuses will bloom early given our mild winter.
ReplyDeleteGreat choice Tina. I am a big fan of crocus too. Very interesting about the different bloom dates. I should write that down somewhere and compare for my garden too. Oh wait, that's what the blog was for!!! ha.
ReplyDeleteI might have some blooming in the next two weeks ~ I know you were WAY ahead of me last year ~ what a wacky winter this has been.
Hi Tina, wow I am so happy over here on the other side of town -seeing your crocus blooming tells me spring is just around the corner:)
ReplyDeleteLola -wowser Forsythia already -now that sounds really Spring-like.
Skeeter -you'll have flowers soon with that nice warm GA air.
Jean -you will have your flowers soon -time moves at an incredible speed:)
I miss keeping up with you gals but my Lil Bundle is very mobile lately and he loves to move fast and into everything -a very cute stage. Have a great week! Ciao
Yay! It's almost crocus time here, too. I'll have to look and see when they bloomed last year. I'm afraid I killed my hellebore...!!(I feel like I may be the first person to ever do that!) So the crocuses will probably be my first blooms of the year. Yours are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, Glad to see you here. I was looking at Lil Bundles pic the other day. I told Young'un there was no way I could forget that child. He has the same name as my youngest GGS.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have forsythia blooming. I'm glad it's a dwarf kind. Even at that it has rooted from a couple limbs touching the ground. Tina told me I could just cut them off so I have 2 more plants. Hooray.
Ooops, forgot to mention I saw quite a few bees & a couple bumbles yesterday. They were after my azaleas.
ReplyDeleteHave a great night all.
Your crocus are beautiful! It looks like the daffodils and hellebores will be my big March bloomers this year. Our cold air has lasted longer than usual, so I feel like we are a little behind.
ReplyDeleteWhat pretty little flowers, tina!!
ReplyDeleteI love love love the lavender ones!
Their petals are so delicate and the color is amazingly beautiful.
The yellow ones are wonderful too!!
My plant of this month is the winter daphne. It has begun to bloom and gives us a nice scent!
I enjoy your plant of the month features - they always make me stop and think about what's going on in the garden here, although it's so hard to choose just one. It's hard not to award march in Portland to the Euphorbias. They're all bright and perky and fresh, and reassuring that the rest of the plants aren't far behind.
ReplyDeleteHarbingers of spring, I love crocuses.
ReplyDeleteNice choice Tina! They're so pretty. . . must plant some this fall!
ReplyDeleteGreat pick, Tina! I think it is the cheering colors, when everything else is so drab. The tommies are fabulous, very long lived and will naturalize well. I have a new one called Rosea that is a little more pink, loving it! :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances