Crocus March 2007

[tonyg]

I could not post these pics with the healthy crocus in the last post!

JoF noted the curious outer markings on C Wandering Minstrel in February.  Here is a pic of that plant (which some might suspect of carrying virus) alongside a clearly virussed C imperati
I have also included pictures of the leaves.  The streaky imperati leaves are clearly virussed while the Wandering Minstrel leaves are clean as a whistle. 
Hope this info helps, one of the challenges of maintaining a collection of plants like my crocuses is keeping the stock in good health.  I remove suspect plants quickly.  The imperati were in a pot where other apparently healthy plants reside.  I tipped the lot out and removed the sick ones.

[Armin]

Tony, great pics. Like especially your form of C.minimus Bavella. Lovely tiny biflorus...

C.unknown: Any idea/proposal which form of tommasianus it could be?
Virus infection: I'll keep an eye on the leaves of my C.versicolor. I'll verify later this week.

[Thomas Huber]

Armin, your tommie looks like "Lilac Beauty", but not exactly. I think it's a seedling!

Here the few crocus that survived the heavy rainfalls of the last two weeks:

[Thomas Huber]

And some single clumps.

Crocus aerius - true form
C. malyi
C. chrysanthus "Blue Peter"
C. reticulatus x angustifolius "Early Gold"
C. reticulatus x angustifolius "Alionka"

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great show Thomas - unbelievable how they do survive all that bad weather isn't it ??
But then - if 1 million fall over by wind and rain, you've still got another two million left upright enjoying the sun whenever it shows...

[Thomas Huber]

Really unbelievable, Luc!

I've noticed, that some are very weather resistant, see the ones in my last posting,
which stood strong for more than one week!

My Crocus angustifolius pure yellow was damaged after only one day of rain 

[Maggi Young]

It is only by growing such a large range outside that one can find which are the strongest growing and most weather resistant. Appearances can be deceptive, can they not?

[Anthony Darby]

Here are two grown from SRGC and flowering for the first time. Crocus rujanensis and Crocus heuffelianus.

[hadacekf]

Thomas, can you identify this crocus please. Is it Crocus vernus Remembrance?
Your meadow is simple beautiful in spite of rain!

[udo]

Crocus heuffelianus
Crocus heuffelianus `Albus`
Crocus vitellinus
Crocus malyi
Crocus vernus ssp.vernus `Michael`s Purple`

[udo]

a seedling from Crocus candidus, possibly a cross
with Crocus olivieri, two pics
a other wonderful cross between Crocus vernus ssp.vernus
and Crocus tommasinianus, the name is `Fantasie`, two pics

[Maggi Young]

The weather here this evening is really horrible, Dirk, I cannot tell you how your Crocus pix are cheering me up! You have many fine plants and some super varieties.

[tonyg]

Super seedling from candidus Dirk.  I thiink you may be right about the parentage.  Lets hope it has hybrid vigour.
I grow a plant similar to Fantasie, same cross.  Mine has Creamy outer petals.  Thanks Maggi!

Has anyone heard of Crocus sieberi 'Bowles Blue'?  I have an enquiry from a friend who has grown it for years but wants to know its origins .... and if the name is valid.

Maggi - its grim down here too.  Even I find myself drooling over some of these great plants that we are shown.

[Maggi Young]

from Tony;I grow a plant similar to Fantasie, same cross.  Mine has reamy outer petals.

Tony, what does "reamy" mean? I have never heard this term.
Ian says you mistyped... C-reamy ! If he's correct I'll feel a real twit!

[mark smyth]

Can I be picky? when saving images for all the forums I would like to see the full name for the image to be attached. It saves scrolling up and down to check image with text. Sorry.

I would like to try lots of Crocus in the open but I truly detest our winter weather than can leave them destroyed before a photo was taken eg my group of vernus ex former Yugoslavia. One day for perfect shots and wont see them again until next year. The same was for the skinny virused looking vernus