Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Crocus => Topic started by: Janis Ruksans on July 11, 2020, 05:59:20 AM
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Just harvested Crocus pelistericus. Leaves still were green, but you can see how well developed are new roots. It is most problematic to find best repotting time for this species. Last week I harvested corms which were ordered by my customers and new roots still were much less developed. The main secret for growing this crocus is correct substrate - it must be acid. I checked it in wild. It don't need keeping in trays with water etc. only I'm bringing its pots out of greenhouse when weather permits (just after blooming).
Now I'm buying rhododendron and conifer mix, adding 2-3 parts by volume of coarse sand and use it for pelistericus, veluchensis, duncanii, carpetanus and yalovensis. The difference of medium pH on Crocus veluchensis you can see on 2nd picture - there were planted 2 pots with same number and size of C. cf. veluchensis - on left acid medium (pH around 5 or even below, on right standard mix (pH 6.5-7).
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Thank you for sharing these insights with us Janis. Amazing effect.
Are you also using this kind of substrate for C. sharojanii flavus?
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Thank you for sharing these insights with us Janis. Amazing effect.
Are you also using this kind of substrate for C. sharojanii flavus?
Yes
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It is most problematic to find best repotting time for this species.
I couldn't agree more! I've been growing C.pelistericus for nearly twenty years now and it's a perennial puzzle knowing when to repot. In some years it is almost evergreen and I have completed the task towards the end of September, (in the English Midlands); more recently I tend to do this in the second or third week of September, as in the photo attached, taken back in 2018. As you can see, the problem then is that root growth is starting and next year's flower buds are already well developed. It must be a nightmare to grow commercially if your customers are expecting 'normal' corms in autumn!
Interesting to hear your view about its pH requirements. I had previously mixed a healthy proportion of peat with JI No 2, coarse sand and grit, but in the last few years I have also included Melcourt propagating bark; I expect that the peat and bark help to bring the pH down quite a lot, but I've never measured this. I have used similar composts successfully for such as C. thirkeanus and from what you say it could benefit quite a few species.
I also agree heartily with your advice not to stand it in trays of water. I expect that photos of the plant in the wild more or less submerged in running snow-melt have contributed to this idea. It certainly likes plenty of water, but not stagnant water. I grow mine outside, in pots, open to the elements all year except when in flower, or when severe frosts are forecast. And I won't make you laugh Janis by saying what I consider to be a severe frost!
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After almost 3 weeks long interruption (hospital etc.) I returned to repotting of crocuses. Found that C. autranii already showed new shoots. Still surprised for crop - got incredibly large corms of Turkish Crocus fleischeri (from Chios Island - of usual size). C. pulchricolor formed minor corms but C. zetterlundii (earlier included in pulchricolor) formed so large as never before. The same I can tell about demirisianus and fauseri.
Yesterday got shocking mail from customer in UK (his initials are GS): "Also you have not sent all bulbs that i have paid for.missing is number9-151-202-206-216-220-275-403-404.I shall not be doing any more business with you Janis if this is what you do." - but he never ordered those plants. Checked all his mails - found 2 orders (very chaotic) but in no one were those numbers. Actually it is the first such letter from customer during 30 years of my export business...
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Don't worry about that and keep care of you. Health is certainly more important than buyer's jump mood ;)
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Many of us have been worried about Janis' health and wish him well for no more hospital stays - but we have some really pleasant news from him that we can be very happy about - on 15th July he and his beloved wife, Guna, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary - here they are again in the church where they were married -
[attachimg=1]
Congratulations to this lovely couple!
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Ah, St. Swithin's Day.
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A very good start of the Crocus season!
I have been strugling to get flowers in my Crocus scharojanii. They are much more difficult than C. scharojanii flavus, which flower reliably every year for me.
In 2015 I tried crossing these two in hope of getting a more reliable flowering of a deep yellow autumn Crocus. The crossing was succesfull and I got some seedpods on C. scharojanii flavus.
The seeds were sowed in 2016 and I got 12 seedlings. 4 of them died the first year, but 8 were growing well. This spring one had 4 leaves, one had 3 leaves and the rest only 2 leaves.
The leaves withered a few weeks ago and I hoped for the 4-leaved corm to flower for the first time this season. However I was very surprised that 7 out of 8 corms send up flower shoots! :o
That is exceptional good for first time flowering. It seems that my dream of a reliable deep yellow Crocus has come true ;D ;D ;D
Poul
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Well done Poul, they look beautiful.
Unfortunately I don't grow these but have always admired them.
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Ashley, thank you!
I will post a picture when they are more advanced, and I will also be busy with my paint brush polinating them in hope of getting some seeds.
Poul
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Here they are a few days later.
There are some variation, but the color is just as dark as the pure scharojanii for two of them. The one in the middle has some paler areas.
And yes, I have cross pollinated them.
Poul
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I had a shock when i read "Autumn" still 36°c and UV 10 in France, autumn will wait...december? ;D
The colors of your scharojanii are incredible, i never tried to grow these species. How do you keep the soil cool in summer?
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In Denmark we “only” have 32 oC at the moment, so it is not autumn here, but we had had one of the coolest July.
I grow them in a bed facing North West. The bed is shaded most of the day by some Rhododrendron. Late in the afternoon they get about 2 hours sun, but now when it is so hot, I have put up a white shade so they do not get any sun. I keep the sand where they are plunged moist all the time.
One of the parents C. Scharojanii flavus grows well in another bed with about 5 hours sun a day, but also kept moist all the time.
Poul
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Here they are a few days later.
There are some variation, but the color is just as dark as the pure scharojanii for two of them. The one in the middle has some paler areas.
And yes, I have cross pollinated them.
Poul
Superb! Envy you!
Janis
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Those are incredibly beautiful Poul. They seem to physically glow.
Does anyone know where I can get hold of scharojanii or any of its hybrids?
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Thank you Tristan!
Most years (and also this year) Janis has C. scharojanii flavus in his catalogue: https://rarebulbs.lv/index.php/en/catal (https://rarebulbs.lv/index.php/en/catal)
The pure C. scharojanii is harder to get hold of and right now I am not aware of any source.
Poul
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Sadly not this year - no stock :(! Never mind, I will have to watch and wait.... I'm sure it will turn up.
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My Crocus scharojanii flavus x scharojanii are still flowering.
Here with some new flowers.
Poul
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Superb! Envy you!
Janis
Thanks you Janis,
I am really proud to be praised by you!
If I get seeds of these, I will spare some for you.
Poul
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Does it mean:
Crocus scharojanii var. flavus (like in the book of J. Ruksans)
or
Crocus scharojanii X flavus (like p.e. on the page of Michael Camphausen)
C. flavus flowers at March(April, so i think it would be var. flavus?
regards
Bernd
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Crocus scharojanii var. flavus is a Natural hybrid between scharojanii and vallicola.
My plants are a hybrid between scharojanii var. flavus and scharojanii.
I do not think that Crocus flavus could hybridize with Crocus scharojanii.
Poul
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Since it is a hybrid and not a variety, C. scharojanii var. flavus presumably needs a new name anyway. One for the taxonomists....
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agree :)
P.e. Paphiopedilum has an natural hybrid Paphiopedilum X AngThong = P. niveum x P. godefroyae
For this Cocus, i think: Crocus X Flavus ???
as Tristan_He said: "One for the taxonomists...."
Bernd
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agree :)
For this Cocus, i think: Crocus X Flavus ???
Bernd
I think that would be a bad name. It is too close to the species Crocus flavus and I am sure it will make a lot of confusion.
Poul
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I think that would be a bad name. It is too close to the species Crocus flavus and I am sure it will make a lot of confusion.
Poul
I'm not professional taxonomist, but I think that name scharojanii var. flavus can be used, at least so it was published. Varietal level don't conflict with species name, so it is legal. WCSP list it as hybrid between vallicola and suworovianus, what certainly isn't true. I didn't saw original publication of this epithet, so I don't know how validly it is published.
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Yesterday I finished re-potting of crocuses. Last species were laevigatus, melantherus and boryi. Usually I was disappointed with boryi, but this year they produced excellent corms, larger than usually in this species. C. laevigatus - in opposite - made smaller corms than usually. This year it was easy to separate boryi from laevigatus by shape of corms - in boryi they were very round, but in laevigatus distinctly elongated. As usually in last years greatest losses were between species from pallasii group, but those which alive were of huge size. I already wrote that small replacement corms were formed by Central Asian species, although leaves were very large. Different species had different reaction on abnormal spring conditions. I suppose that starting of growing in the darkest days of year in December/January gave too little light for good corm crop to earliest species.
Serious enemy turned black ants. On pictures you can see same sample of Crocus cf. mazziaricus - on the first picture are corms harvested from pot which was invaded by ants, on the next the same acquisition number from pot without ants. Note 5 cm long shoots at repotting time on some corms.
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Poul, amazing pictures of your C. scharojanii crossings and thanks for sharing them.
I myself have (of course) been looking for a long time for the pure C. scharojanii but yet without any luck. I am even starting to wonder if there are any other plantsmen out there who have it all in there collection? (except for Janis I don't know of any other people).
I am even considering to go and visit it in it's original native habitat one day in order to get hold off some seed, would anybody know when would be the best bet to harvest the ripe seedpods for this species? My aim would be to re-introduce this species in as much private collections as possible in order to safeguard it from potential extinction due to habitat loss.
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There are a few growers in Scotland with true scharojanii (image taken last month).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50086619852_5427c6916c_c_d.jpg)
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Unfortunately I have only 1 poor corm of scharojanii. Covid broke all plans to visit Caucasus and collect some new stock and to check soil pH at their natural habitat.
As I wrote before, I was almost 3 weeks out of working capacity this summer. Waiting in lines in hospital for treatments, I had with old favourite, written more than 100 years ago - E. A. Bowles trilogy "My garden in ...". "...in Spring" on page 89 he wrote that Crocus aerius below ground has "thin jacket instead of the hard shell-like covering of chrysanthus". And yes, most of chrysanthus sensu lato has hard corm tunics. One was separated by me many years ago by its very thin, papery tunics growing far to East in Turkey, and this summer I published it as new species naming after Doerte Harpke from Gaterslebren Institute of Plant Genetics as Crocus harpkeae.
At harvesting I'm always making notes about corm tunics, collect them in small envelopes for later more diligent exploring. Having quite many samples of so named chrysanthus from Greece, I was surprised by some variability between populations by features regarded by HKEP as important in taxonomy of annulate crocuses.
And here some observations about Greek "chrysanthus":
Sample from N of Drama - tunics thin, basal rings with pronged edge
from Keoax - tunic looks hard, basal rings distinctly toothed, but this is new acquisition and needs more checking.
Mount Kissavos and near Afyon - tunic hard, rings with very long tooth
Near Stavropoli - tunics thin, papyraceous, rings shortly pronged
Are they all the same species, only extremely variable, or similarly to so named "veluchensis" and some others represents several different taxa, can be solved only checking DNA what is not available for me at present.
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Click this link to download this issue of IRG e-magazine with Janis' description of Crocus harpkeae: http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2020May211590085317IRG125.pdf
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Crocus suworovianus has opened today
My own crossing between Crocus vallicola and scharojanii has shown its noses and will open in a few days.
Poul
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The first flowering of Crocus vallicola x scharojanii from own seeds 2016.
The scharojanii genes seams to dominate, but in the throat there is typical vallicola markings. There are 3 more flowers coming and it will be exiting to see the variation.
Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. Better pics will follow.
Poul
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Simply amazing. This is the most yellow sharojanii flavus I have seen so far :)
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Crocus hakkariensis has opened today.
C. autranii and an early form of C. speciosus will open tomorrow.
All in open frame or in the garden.
Poul
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An early member of the Crocus speciosus group original from Russia
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The first of my Crocus autranii opened today
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Wow
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The next flowers of Crocus vallicola x scharojanii. There is only little variations.
Poul
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Crocus vallicola x scharojanii flavus
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The flowering of the autumn crocuses is in full swing and gives great pleasure, especially the Crocus banaticus stands out due to its extraordinary beauty. This year a small group of white-speckled / striped Banaticus appeared mixed with the normal Crocus banaticus.
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In the afternoon sun!
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During midday!
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I fear that your striped banaticus may unfortunately be virus-infected. Keep them well away from other stock.
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I fear that your striped banaticus may unfortunately be virus-infected. Keep them well away from other stock.
The striped C. banaticus of Ophrys are very lovely, but I agree with Steve - they are virussed and it may spread to an ruin all others in your collection.
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I used to have banaticus and other autumn crocus blooming in my garden, but I think squirrels must have eaten all the bulbs. Someone introduced gray squirrels to our island, and gardening has changed.
My patches of colchicums keep expanding, though.
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Crocus pulchellus has been good to grow here outside in the garden. This picture was taken last week, but unfortunately mice cut the flowers two nights ago. They didn't even eat them, just cut them. At least least they didn't dig the corms, that was good.
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banaticus opened today :-)
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Crocus dispathaceus -A nice form from Icel, Turkey that looks its best when fully de-flexed.
The markings on the tepals are symmetrical and are not due to virus.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50387045292_bf547f7db1_c_d.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50386868211_9900a6999b_c_d.jpg)
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Very beautiful! But certainly none to try in my garden, as I did with Crocus kotschyanus. It disappeared in the border for 5 years, but popped up now on the verge of the bordering meadow.
(https://up.picr.de/39551961ga.jpg)
Another Crocus kotschyanus which appeared utterly unexpected. Neither planted I some in the neighbourhood, nor this special type at all, which I grow only in the green house.
(https://up.picr.de/39551960ol.jpg)
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First C. ligusticus opened today.
Hope without virus
[attachimg=1]
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Very beautiful! But certainly none to try in my garden, as I did with Crocus kotschyanus. It disappeared in the border for 5 years, but popped up now on the verge of the bordering meadow.
Another Crocus kotschyanus which appeared utterly unexpected. Neither planted I some in the neighbourhood, nor this special type at all, which I grow only in the green house.
Ian Young has been writing quite a bit about his "wandering" crocus in recent Bulb Logs ! What with stolons and seed, some can appear anywhere! :D
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Thank You, Maggi, You´re right - I think they came up from seed. Growing crocus in my garden is quite an adventure due to the heavy soil and legions of rodents, so every survivor is welcome! Crocus tommasinianus established himself successfully and produced some nice offspring, but other species struggle hard or succombed.
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These two crocus have appeared in the garden. Could anyone give them a name please.
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These two crocus have appeared in the garden. Could anyone give them a name please.
Looks like the plant which goes around variously as C. pulchellus albus or C. speciosus albus - but there is some talk of it being an old hybrid. :-X :-\
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First C. ligusticus opened today.
Hope without virus
The petals do look sort of stripy at the edges, or is it just shadows that create the effect?
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fortunately shadows :-)
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Crocus dispathaceus -A nice form from Icel, Turkey that looks its best when fully de-flexed.
The markings on the tepals are symmetrical and are not due to virus.
Very nice, i sow 10 seeds last autumn, i hope to get such beauties.
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A very good repeater and wonderful color on these Autumn days. Crocus speciosus.
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I fear that your striped banaticus may unfortunately be virus-infected. Keep them well away from other stock.
I hope for a mutation. They are seed raised. The "old" Banaticus are okay. But maybe you are right. I will separate them.
[attachimg=1]
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Finally Crocus woke up ;D
Crocus goulimyi
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Another beautiful Crocus, Crocus armeniensis, with relative large flowers!
[attachimg=1]
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My autumn crocus bed around week ago and some crocuses blooming in it - new species from Israel, then beautiful Crocus cartwrightianus cultivar Purple Heart, Crocus ochroleucus and as last C. clusii.
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beautiful :D
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Crocus sativus
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Crocus sativus
I like your sativus - it is practically identical with mine from Greece (see 1st picture). Where from comes yours?
But I have two stocks. Another one comes from Iran (2nd picture) - I dislike it's colour pattern although it is growing very well, but I replaced it out of crocus bed, as I'm afraid that could be present virus infection. Similar I pictured in Gothenburg BG (3rd picture) and found on saffron site in internet (4th picture). In the new book (Medicinal Plants of Afghanistan) received few days ago are 2 pictures of C. sativus with same suspicious pattern of flower colour (5th picture). Is this virus? Or may be only clonal difference? As it is grown by hectares, seem that Iranian-Afgan stocks didn't suffer. I didn't see clones grown in Spain and India etc. Of course appearing of different clones is very possible during so long time of cultivation.
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Thanks Janis
I probably came from a large group we did twenty years ago with members of the old IBS. The order was from Hoog and Dix.
It has stayed in the same spot under a Korean quince ( Cydonia sinensis) with about 4-6 hours of sunlight.
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Some crocuses of day
Crocus hatayensis - type collection
Crocus nerimaniae - 3rd virus free generation
Crocus pumilus from Crete - tiny, odorless relative of laevigatus
Crocus cf. pallasii from Turkey in Europe
and one of Crocus speciosus relatives from high mountains in Iran
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Just in flower
Crocus niveus bicolor - many thanks to Yann
Gerd
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Some more crocuses from Saturday - the last sunny day when flowers opened.
Crocus speciosus aff. 16IRS-065 from Iran
Crocus robertianus shows its variability
Crocus vallicola from Artvin, NE Turkey in full bloom - started very early but sparsely, now very abundant
Crocus mathewii JJJ-018 - excellent form, similar to cultivar 'Brian Mathew'- lost by me last year.
Crocus pallasii from Samos Island - Greece
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Crocus ligusticus opened today
[attachimg=1]
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I am loving seeing all these beautiful Crocuses from Janis and everyone but what do you do when your Crocuses get battered by the weather?
[attachimg=1]
The scent the give off when they open in the warmth of the house is delicious.
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I am loving seeing all these beautiful Crocuses from Janis and everyone but what do you do when your Crocuses get battered by the weather?
(Attachment Link)
The scent the give off when they open in the warmth of the house is delicious.
On sunny days greenhouse is full of sweetest scent, but outside... No photogenic picture. Crocuses bloom, but yesterday's snow, rain, hail and hard wind damaged all flowers. It was real hell outside. Fortunately I worked inside greenhouse potting Alliums. Hope to finish this week and then will remain only Tulips. Very late for me this year.
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Some crocuses from Saturday. Although today was sunny and quiet day, I even didn't visit crocus house. Worked in another polytunell planting Alliums for new raised bed.
Crocus cf. cancellatus LST-402 Kazik Beli, Turkey
Crocus pallasii KJGR-072, Chios, Greece
Crocus serotinus Alba from late Marcus Harvey
Crocus vallicola MP 8812 from Artvin, NE Turkey now in full bloom
Crocus cf. speciosus 16IRS-052 from high altitudes in Iran
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Yesterday finished with filling of pots my new raised bed - there are Alliums and part of Tulip species. Still left ~10 days to plant tulips - other species and own hybrids. After several days of "ignorance" visited my crocuses and really was shocked by incredible beauty of white forms of Crocus cartwrightianus as well as intensively yellowish shaded C. pumilus from Crete - it is darker than usually, but many "white" species had yellowish shade in early flowers this season.
Crocus cartwrightianus albus - commercial form
Crocus cartwrightianus from Naxos and its close-up
Crocus pumilus 17GRA-015 - more yellow shaded than usually
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I raised this Crocus from seed as Crocus adanensis. It has just flowered. Can someone please identify this Fall flowering species?
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[attachimg=2]
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Passed crocus season really was strange. Started far too early, some species formed small new corms regardless of good foliage, some made excellent corms regardless of weak foliage. As usually there were great losses between pallasii related species, more than usually between hadriaticus forms, but cancellatus group was better than usually is. Without regular renewing of stocks from seeds I could loss most of pallasii group species. Blooming is strange, too. Usually first flowers of C. caspius are white and second ones lilac – this year it was vice-verse. But in general losses were not greater than usually. Far better than year before were species with annulate tunics.
Of course I’m more lucky than my friends in France which had very great problems with keeping of crocuses due very exceptional hot waves. I brought out of greenhouse a lot of pots this year and results were far better than before with species from veluchensis sensu lato group, cvijicii, banaticus and other species from high mountain altitudes.
Still continue blooming and now the most important is taking off died flowers. Yesterday I did this for a pair of hours. Weather broadcast again changed and dark cloudy, wet days offered without sun, so it becomes even more important to prevent mold on died flowers which easy can penetrate down to corm and to kill it.
Crocus vallicola from Artvin
Crocus species nova ILOP-014 from Israel
Crocus tournefortii from Naxos
Crocus pumilus SBL-348
Crocus vallicola Blushing Marmot selected by Henrik Zetterlund starts white but during few days "blush" to light violet
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I raised this Crocus from seed as Crocus adanensis. It has just flowered. Can someone please identify this Fall flowering species?
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
Without knowing corm tunics, very difficult to identify. May be kotschyanus leucopharynx?
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Crocus are very very late this year
Crocus hatayensis (KPEH form after discussion with Janis) and Crocus goulimyi
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Crocus vallicola from Artvin
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Crocus vallicola Blushing Marmot selected by Henrik Zetterlund starts white but during few days "blush" to light violet
Beautiful Janis, in particular I really like the Blushing Marmot“.. Fortunately, your Artvin strain bears some blushing ones, too. This year I managed to take a photo of one doing so (colouration was even stronger on the outside), although not as dramatically as the marmot. I’m very grateful for having received this lovely plant. Just a shame my vallicolas did flower one after the other this year, so I could not cross-pollinate. Hope for some seeds through selfing though.
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Two compilations of Crocus serotinus variability from Fernando Ureña Plaza - the first from the Madrid area, and the second from Pinalle del Valle
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
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Crocus cartwrightianus albus
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Most important now is removing of old flowers. On the first picture one such not seen in time flower with penicillium mould - if it will be left, infection could reach and kill corm.
Crocus hatayensis is the last bloomer in C. kotschyanus group - here you can see form received from Erich Pasche and from type gathering pictured in cloudy day, so you can see well developed new leaves.
From speciosus group the latest are C. sakariensis (just finished) and C. cf. hellenicus from Varnakovo (on pictures) - by flower it resembles Turkish brachyphilus, blooming much earlier and is easy separable by striped cataphylls (last picture). Similar cataphylls has C. zubovii from Iran (SE coast of Caspian Sea)
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Crocus cartwrightianus albus
Another white Crocus cartwrightianus from Naxos Island, Greece
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Janis
With a dark throat?
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Janis
With a dark throat?
Cultivar alba has light throat as on your picture, those with dark throat (few different clones) were collected last autumn on Naxos Island. You can see more on my Facebook entries.
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Some crocuses from Israel and Jordania, which bloomed last week - in general earlier than usually.
Crocus hyemalis ILOP-015 from Israel
Much earlier than usually bloomed Crocus moabiticus from near Madaba, Jordania. Its flowers widely opened in sun allowing good hand-pollination.
Crocus ochroleucus from Israel - Massada, Golan Heights, alt. 1050 m is a little similar to kotschyanus, but corms are much smaller and cormlets almost only poppy-seed size.
Corms of Crocus ochroleucus cultivar 'Dalton White' selected by Oron Peri this year was so tiny (largest around 3 mm in diameter) that I didn't hope to see any flower, but one of them bloomed.
Crocus veneris this year blooms unusually early. It is species endemic to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus where it igrow in stony or grassy places in scrub. It flowers there in Autumn and early Winter and is little difficult in cultivation where it usually makes its cheery, star-shaped flowers only from December onwards with me - this season its blooming already approximates end.
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Crocus hyemalis, aleppicus and veneris from Oron's seeds
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Yesterdays sun allowed to make some more pictures of last crocuses, but main job is deleting of old flowers from Crocus and Cyclamen pots. This morning we had first night frost in this autumn - so ahead last watering of pots and wintering of watering systems up to spring. Bulbs rooted excellently - even those Allium and Tulipa potted only 2 weeks ago show white root tips through pots bottom holes.
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Today - greatest event in my life of current year - finally I saw published the result of last three winters job - In Search of Hidden Treasures. It is Latvian version of Buried Treasures but not translation - completely new book with 550 colour pictures dispersed on 396 pages, printed on superb quality here in Latvia. One chapter dedicated just for search of crocuses, but crocuses goes through all chapters as they went through my life. Books price is 15,- Euro + postage costs and if someone wants it, you can write me to my e-mail janis.bulb@hawk.lv
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Congratulations, Janis! Another milestone in your career in print!
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Crocus laevigatus in the greenhouse, i sown many pots form different sources, now it's time to select the best forms.
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Crocus laevigatus in the greenhouse, i sown many pots form different sources, now it's time to select the best forms.
Yann, this is a laevigatus which I received from you - I guess not bad!
Gerd
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The last Crocus pulchellus for this year. I photographed the first one on September 9th.
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[attachimg=2]
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Yann, this is a laevigatus which I received from you - I guess not bad!
Gerd
He seems to like its new home ;)
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Melantherus, goulimyi and speciosus still in nice flower...
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Crocus caspius
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A surprise today, Crocus serotinus subsp. salzmannii CGroup 2015-138 is in flower.
johnw
58F & sunny
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Crocus laevigatus, i like the green tones
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Again some "spring" crocuses try to run out. May be Crocus hittiticus blooming now must be reclassified as autumn-spring blooming? Last years it always started in December and continued up to spring. Yesterday all the day was snowing. We had strong storm a week ago and one huge spruce (around 90 years old) was broken over Guna's hosta beds, so we got marvelous Christmas tree even with cones to be placed in front yard of our house. On Sunday I put lights on it and yesterday it was additionally decorated with snow. But my main joy - this morning finished 3 weeks old job on my new offer for 2021. Several new rare crocuses are included. You can see it on http://www.rarebulbs.lv/index.php/en/
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More and more crocuses are coming out. Today I fixed C. stridii, C. demirizianus, 2 forms of C. fleischeri, C. punctatus. And 2 reticulata irises are blooming, one more muscari (new species from high altitudes in NE Turkay over Altiparmak - offered in new catalogue, too).
As there are no sun last days, flowers didn't open but stay in tight buds.
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More and more crocuses are coming out. Today I fixed C. stridii, C. demirizianus, 2 forms of C. fleischeri, C. punctatus. And 2 reticulata irises are blooming, one more muscari (new species from high altitudes in NE Turkay over Altiparmak - offered in new catalogue, too).
As there are no sun last days, flowers didn't open but stay in tight buds.
Nice to see the elegant form of the closed buds!
Wonderful to read your new list, Janis! http://www.rarebulbs.lv/index.php/en/
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But my main joy - this morning finished 3 weeks old job on my new offer for 2021. Several new rare crocuses are included. You can see it on http://www.rarebulbs.lv/index.php/en/
And so early.. I did not expect the list to be finished before Christmas. What a (nice) surprise.
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Crocus niveus, late form, nicely scented.
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I'm also waiting several late blossoms, don't know what's happen this year.
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Hi Tomte,
"Upper Bavaria" is close to Allgäu:-)
Greetings
Berrnd
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I don't like bringing of crocus pots from greenhouse into room. My first attempts with replacing of pots on bathrooms windowsill ended with great losses in crop and a pair of very rare plants were lost forever. But there are situations as last season and again this winter when weather is so mild, that some crocuses hurry to come out and stay in closed buds due lack of light and regardless of minor + C degrees, it is quite cool even under cover. And I keep all doors open to press down inner temperature. Some of those are rarities and I need their seeds - so nothing left than bring them for only a pair of hours in warm kitchen to open tightly closed buds, pollinate and immediately back into greenhouse. Even this by my last years experience shows that crocuses don't like such "forcing", actually this could be compared with raping.
In this entry I'm showing very special crocus which I got from Ibrahim as seeds. He gave me some seeds supposing that it s new, autumn blooming species as ripe seeds were collected wild in February. But it turned identical with Crocus demirizianus published by Osman Erol, and collected by me, too at its locus classicus. Regardless of identity by morphology, Ibrahim's plants always blooms earlier than those from type locality - this season it happens just now.
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Here still no real winter started. Weather is cool, dark and wet, but some spring blooming bulbs hurry to come out. Two days ago I visited my greenhouse - I got parcel with some crocus corms to be potted immediately (in surprisingly perfect shape, regardless of very long traveling before reach me). I brought in few Crocus pots to force opening. Crocus fleischeri already were in closed buds for some weeks. I brought in pot labeled as C. fleischeri form with brown stigma, having blue striped outside of petals. Really stigma this season at opening had only some brownish shade, but later, when flowers fully opened, it turned dark red. Is it seasonal fluctuation or wrong label? I will see answer next season.
From distance I was shocked seeing yellow buds on one bed where pots with reticulata irises were placed. The first idea - wrong label? It could be impossible to place pot with Iris winogradowii between summer-dry loving species. But when I saw label "Iris bakeriana alba" I was even more surprised. In spring 2017 I together with my Czech friend we spotted on field with Iris bakeriana in Iran one clump with white flowers. White colour in wild reticulatas is extremely rare occasion - I really know only 3 cases - Alan McMurtries 'White Caucasus' , which is slightly bluish, purest white found by Zhirair Basmajyan in Armenia (both are Iris reticulata), and the third is our I. bakeriana. We split this clump between us, but at planting time they looked so poor, that I had no hope for some living bulb. In spring 2018 four very tiny shoots came out with me, but nothing in my friends garden. This autumn I planted four still very small bulbs without any hope to see flowers - but now three flower buds comes out! Still only in bud - I'm afraid to bring them inside, but may be in the New Year, as some frost coming for one week is broadcasted. Although not crocus, it is such rarity, that I can’t withstand attemption to show it here, too.
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I don't like bringing of crocus pots from greenhouse into room. My first attempts with replacing of pots on bathrooms windowsill ended with great losses in crop and a pair of very rare plants were lost forever. But there are situations as last season and again this winter when weather is so mild, that some crocuses hurry to come out and stay in closed buds due lack of light and regardless of minor + C degrees, it is quite cool even under cover. And I keep all doors open to press down inner temperature. Some of those are rarities and I need their seeds - so nothing left than bring them for only a pair of hours in warm kitchen to open tightly closed buds, pollinate and immediately back into greenhouse. Even this by my last years experience shows that crocuses don't like such "forcing", actually this could be compared with raping.
In this entry I'm showing very special crocus which I got from Ibrahim as seeds. He gave me some seeds supposing that it s new, autumn blooming species as ripe seeds were collected wild in February. But it turned identical with Crocus demirizianus published by Osman Erol, and collected by me, too at its locus classicus. Regardless of identity by morphology, Ibrahim's plants always blooms earlier than those from type locality - this season it happens just now.
very special and beautiful, i hope you'll have seedlings!
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Yesterday again checked crocus pots and 4 more samples shows tips of flower buds, surprised that usual runners - Central Asian species - alatavicus, michelsonii still are sleeping, but tips of shoots shows only C. korolkowii Alba. From those which I brought in for pictures and pollination - here Crocus stridii from Chalkidiki in Greece, stippled form.