Crocus December 2009

[Tony Willis]

Crocus fleischeri open today after the frost. I see it opened on the 13th January last year.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Dreadfully early but stunningly beautiful Tony !! 

[mark smyth]

By far it is better looking than my plants

[Tony Willis]

I have raised them from seed and although all are white the purple striping is quite variable.it is a very dainty crocus.

[Janis Ruksans]

Excellent form and incredibly early!
Janis

[tonyg]

Tony, very nice!  I have Iris bakeriana in flower, also 6-8 weeks early.  I do not have much joy with Crocus fleischeri.  Do you treat it the same as all your other crocus?   Same compost etc?

[Tony Willis]

Tony it is treated like the rest.I only have one system for them all (except pelistericus and scardicus).Repot each year in John Innes and grit,  and water from September until they start to die down and then dry them of for the summer.

[Janis Ruksans]

Tony it is treated like the rest.I only have one system for them all (except pelistericus and scardicus).Repot each year in John Innes and grit,  and water from September until they start to die down and then dry them of for the summer.

In general I'm doing the same, only some stay during summer in greenhouse, others I'm bringing outside. To scardicus & pelistericus I would add scharojanii. Annual replanting very essential.
Janis

[tonyg]

Tony it is treated like the rest.I only have one system for them all (except pelistericus and scardicus).Repot each year in John Innes and grit,  and water from September until they start to die down and then dry them of for the summer.

Thats what I thought you would say.  Its what I do too!  However I have found C fleischeri shortlived on the few occasions that I have grown it.  Must be something in the air ... 

[Tony Willis]

This is really nerdy but not only do I know when they flowered last year but also that I collected them in 1994 and my earliest ones are 1992. They are the same plants as I have not sown any seed of them since.

[David Nicholson]

Not "nerdy" at all Tony, just very thorough!

[Lesley Cox]

Your C. fleischeri is a delight Tony. Mine doesn't have the purple tip markings, just plain white, though I still like it a lot.

[Tony Willis]

Lesley they are quite variable. Here is a white one which I think is nice.

[tonyg]

This is really nerdy but not only do I know when they flowered last year but also that I collected them in 1994 and my earliest ones are 1992. They are the same plants as I have not sown any seed of them since.

I'm with David - the word is thorough.
I have bulbs raised from seed as long ago as that, so I can keep them going.  I am quite proud to have Crocus aleppicus in its 11th season here, quite similar in appearance, rated as tricky to keep happy.  Perhaps we are too dry .... after all you do keep reminding us of the constant and copius rainfall in your neck of the woods

[Armin]

Tony W,
both forms of C. fleischeri are very attractive. Hope mine will flower this season again.

With regards to early growth: C. vernus dutch hybrids and C. chrysanthus cultivars are poking through ground en masse both in raised sandbeds and meadow. In the past years they appeared 4-8wks later...
Amazing, early flowerers like C. ancyrensis 'Golden Bunch', C. korolkowii and C. imperati 'De Jager' show no signs yet.