Crocus - August 2012

[David Shaw]

Autumn already? I have just been into the bulbhouse to find C. kotschyanus suworowianus smiling up at me!

[udo]

Dawid, nice Crocus suworowianus.
Around three weeks after Crocus scharojanii, here is the hybid from this species with Crocus vallicola: Crocus scharojanii var. flavus

[pehe]

Lovely C. scharojanii flavus! Does it set seed? I have tried hand pollinating mine without any luck.

Poul

[udo]

Lovely C. scharojanii flavus! Does it set seed? I have tried hand pollinating mine without any luck.

Poul

My first flower last year set not seed.

[Janis Ruksans]

Lovely C. scharojanii flavus! Does it set seed? I have tried hand pollinating mine without any luck.

Poul

Mine plants gave me seeds last season. Can't to report about germination at moment. I only today finished repotting of crocuses and today first two flowers of Crocus suworovianus were noted.
It was quite unusual season - corms in greenhouse grown stocks in general were smaller than those from open field.
Janis

[Maggi Young]

C. scharojanii flavus : We have not been able to get seed here 

 Well done, Janis, hope the seeds will grow.

[Gerry Webster]

It was quite unusual season - corms in greenhouse grown stocks in general were smaller than those from open field.
Janis

My own experience too. Some of them (e.g., C. ligusticus) were tiny,

[pehe]

Crocus scharojanii flavus is my first crocus this season. I grow it outside in a plastic pot plunged in wet sand. It respond well to that treatment. The single corm that I bought last year has now split in two flowering sized corms.

Poul

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Dawid, nice Crocus suworowianus.
Around three weeks after Crocus scharojanii, here is the hybid from this species with Crocus vallicola: Crocus scharojanii var. flavus

A fantastic flower, Dirk !

[udo]

A fantastic flower, Dirk !

Luc, many thanks.
Poul, congratulations to this flower.

[Janis Ruksans]

Around week ago Crocus blooming started with me, too. Unusually late this season and I even started to worry - what happens with my crocuses. I didn't picture the very first flowers. Weather was hot and they soon wilted and I was extremely busy with despatching of last orders and harvesting of frits - so forgot about camera at all. But now I almost finished with harvesting and yesterday even repotted Tulip species collection (around 250 pots). They will stay dry up to end of September when will start watering. I simply needed empty boxes because still left some 300 pots with 3-years old seedlings to harvest. But back to crocuses.
The first ones this year was Crocus suworovianus. Few days ago they were joined with Crocus scharojanii flavus. Crocus scharojanii scharojanii usually is the very first but request for them was so great that I sold all flowering size corms and with me left only small ones. So I'm putting here  some pictures of Crocus suworovianus from different locations and scharojanii flavus. Really I don't expect great blooming because last winter was not the best for crocuses and their roots suffered from frost, so repotted corms were smaller than usually.
Janis

[pehe]

Around week ago Crocus blooming started with me, too. Unusually late this season and I even started to worry - what happens with my crocuses. I didn't picture the very first flowers. Weather was hot and they soon wilted and I was extremely busy with despatching of last orders and harvesting of frits - so forgot about camera at all. But now I almost finished with harvesting and yesterday even repotted Tulip species collection (around 250 pots). They will stay dry up to end of September when will start watering. I simply needed empty boxes because still left some 300 pots with 3-years old seedlings to harvest. But back to crocuses.
The first ones this year was Crocus suworovianus. Few days ago they were joined with Crocus scharojanii flavus. Crocus scharojanii scharojanii usually is the very first but request for them was so great that I sold all flowering size corms and with me left only small ones. So I'm putting here  some pictures of Crocus suworovianus from different locations and scharojanii flavus. Really I don't expect great blooming because last winter was not the best for crocuses and their roots suffered from frost, so repotted corms were smaller than usually.
Janis

Let us hope for a better crocus winter this season! But the start of your flowering is not bad at all.
It is nice to see the variations in the different c. suworovianus clones - all are very beautiful and skilful photographed.
I look forward seeing more of your fantastic crocus.

By me Crocus scharojanii flavus is at its best but we need some sunshine for the flowers to open. C. suworovianus is just visible so I expect flowers in a short time.

Poul

[pontus]

Here is my sharojanii flavus from last august.

unfortunately this year it did not appear...when i checked the pot the corm had sadly almost died...i did protect it from frost, and it made goo dleaf growth...but perhaps it got eaten or got too dry or to wet...

it is stunning though, and last year i was able to show it to a friend when it was in full bloom, telling her it may have been the first time in her life she saw this rare crocus, and maybe the only place in switzerland! she was highly impressed by this crocus unique light yellow colour and pointed petals!

i am now crossing my fingers that my sharojanii type sp will grow well. it is not yet showing above ground.

Pontus

[pehe]

Here is my sharojanii flavus from last august.

unfortunately this year it did not appear...when i checked the pot the corm had sadly almost died...i did protect it from frost, and it made goo dleaf growth...but perhaps it got eaten or got too dry or to wet...

it is stunning though, and last year i was able to show it to a friend when it was in full bloom, telling her it may have been the first time in her life she saw this rare crocus, and maybe the only place in switzerland! she was highly impressed by this crocus unique light yellow colour and pointed petals!

i am now crossing my fingers that my sharojanii type sp will grow well. it is not yet showing above ground.

Pontus

Pontus, what a pity that you didn't get flowers this year. It is a really nice species and I will hope for you that they recover well. By the way, it is very important that C. scharojanii flavus and especially C. scharojanii subsp. scharojanii do not dry out as other crocus like, they must be kept moist and cool all year round. They need a very long growing season for corms to built up and be able to flower.

Poul