Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Crocus => Topic started by: Janis Ruksans on April 01, 2013, 06:02:27 PM
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It is the 1-st of April, so time to start new topic. 1st April is day of jokes and looking outside it seems that there is real joke, too. All the day is snowing and started snowstorm. Road to my nursery was almost closed but I succeed to pass it. It was coldest March in last 50 years, but history shows that in 1942 March was even in average 5 degrees colder than in 2013. We had colder springs once in early fifties and once in early sixties last century. And in thirties there were 80 cm of snow in my district even 18th of April... So nothing special. But very tedious >:(
So on pictures you can see my house today. I suppose that my bees are not happy, too for so long winter sleep. Greenhouses are enclosed in snow walls, but inside all looks quite good. In so dull weather crocus flowers are closed, so good occasion to show some varieties from side view and in this entry excellent form, of Crocus angustifolius
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Quite often I'm questioned how to separate Crocus x sieberi HUBERT EDELSTEN from it's mutation GEORGE, selected by famous Dutch breeder Willem van Eeden. On this picture you clearly can see that GEORGE (front two rows) blooms later than HUBERT EDELSTEN (back rows).
Another picture of Crocus sieberi from Omalos is more curiosity. The anthers here not separatyed from petals (more precisely during organogenesis joined together) forming such unusual shape of flower.
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And last entry for today - variation in Crocus olivieri subsp. balansae. Those pictures show you how variable it can be. Earlier I showed olivieri with many branched stigma collected between type subsp. plants. They all grew on small spot - may be 2-3 hundred square meters large, but one of from collected 5 corms looks as subsp. balansae (I showed it in March).
Usually subsp. balansae is regarded as coloured dark on back. But not always it is so (see 1st picture). As you can judge by back's of petals pictured today amount of brown and shape can varie a lot. Very dramatically looks cv. CHOCOLATE SOLDIER - by colour typical subsp. balansae, but last year all flowers had only 6-branched stigmas as in type subspecies. Flowers didn't open yet, so I couldn't check this feature this year, but on label I striped out word "balansae".
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cv. CHOCOLATE SOLDIER => fine clone !
Today I had very little time to make some photos in the garden: could pay off to select some clones of Crocus exiguus .....
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I found these Crocus tommasinianus in my garden yesterday. They are very pretty, but I am quite sure they are virused. What do the experts say?
On the other hand they look somewhat like Hubert Edelsten, which grow quite close. Does anyone know if tommasinianus could make a hybrid with Hubert Edelsten?
Poul
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Janis,
like the C. angustifolius. it is nicely marked :D
Unfortunately another species which dislikes my garden conditions. :'(
Gerhard,
some very nice forms of C. exiguus. 8) Usually they flower more violet in nature, right?
Where do this nice forms come from? Your own breeding results?
Pehe,
I'm not a virus expert nor specialist for crosses.
But the crocus are nice - I wouldn't throw them into the bin. Maybe they are a cross with some C. vernus hybrids ?
I would suppose it is more probable then a cross with a C. sieberi hybrid which is considered to be sterile.
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Today I had very little time to make some photos in the garden: could pay off to select some clones of Crocus exiguus .....
Gerhard,
Name Crocus exiguus isn't accepted! - See Kew world checklist! Correct name which must be used is Crocus heuffelianus subsp. heuffelianus
Most of specimens in your entry looks as nice white form of Crocus heuffelianus.
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Dear Forumists,
From today you can see my home-page on http://rarebulbs.lv - it opens on Internet Explorer, but still not on Google search (I don't know - why). There you can find all my catalogue and 99% of items have pictures attached. There is GARDEN NEWS topic where you can print your questions and I will try to reply as soon as possible as I will inform about news from my garden and collection. Arriving of young generation gives me more time and more advanced technologies.
Janis
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Janis, congratulations on your web-site. It looks great.
Sound very nice to have a step-daughter to help you with your many tasks in your nursery.
Lina.
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Janis, congratulations! Your website works very well and looks great, the only problem with all those lovely pictures is that I want to buy it all..... ;D
Poul
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. Greenhouses are enclosed in snow walls, but inside all looks quite good.
Do you have heating inside the greenhouse?
Congratulations on the new website :)
I have some of your Corydalis solida cultivars and like them very much ( if only the snow would melt also here).
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My greenhouses are polytunnels with two layers of polyethilene film (distance ~ 7 cm) without any heating.
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Gerhard,
Name Crocus exiguus isn't accepted! - See Kew world checklist! Correct name which must be used is Crocus heuffelianus subsp. heuffelianus
Most of specimens in your entry looks as nice white form of Crocus heuffelianus.
Dear Janis,
there are reasons while I have labelled it Cr. exiguus ! Gregor Dietrich has described in his bachelor work 2002 that there are great differents between eastern Cr. heuffelianus ( eastern Hungary, eastern Slovakia, Ukraine to the Northern Carpathians ) and the western -invalid- `Cr. exiguus` ( of the Eastern Carpathians on the Balkan Peninsula -Albania to the south- to the southeastern Alps ). While eastern Cr. heuffelianus is diploid ( n=x=5, 2n=10 ), the western Cr. exiguus is probably influenced by Cr. albiflorus and [ 2n=18 (n=x+y+1=10, 2n=20)] allotetraploid (amphidiploid). There are also morphological differents in the measure of the leaves and the time of leave and bloom appearence.
I'm certainly not a fan of cluttered redescriptions of species, a "good" species should be clearly identifiable in the field , without the aid of laboratory and statistical analyzes. So the main reason for us gardeners is, that western Cr. exiguus is a complete other ecological type with other habitat requirements: It would never get outside of spares forests in rather low altitude. So if I bename it with in your eyes ( and taxonomists) an accepted name, it would lose the information about origin and growing requirements, most important for me - and other - as gardenener .
Dear Armin,
I know great populations in Italy, Slowenia and the eastern Adriatic coast along in Croatia , with all possible color and sign combinations. You are right, more common are darker flowers, but I have shown no dark clones, in order not to be bored. Croci are only a small part of my botanic interests, and it has required years , selected according to personal taste, carry and select clones together for my own poor collection.
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Dear Janis,
there are reasons while I have labelled it Cr. exiguus !
I can agree with you. I never saw "exiguus" in wild and never cultivated it, so my opinion was based on literature data available for me. When I looked on pictures in my mind came opinion that it could be albiflorus.
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Few selections of Crocus sieberi from Crete (Omalos plain) and my cultivar 'Cretan Snow'
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Janis beautiful sieberi. Just got back from Crete and did not see any,an early spring I think there.
In flower when I got home today Crocus pelistericus white form.
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Janis beautiful sieberi. Just got back from Crete and did not see any,an early spring I think there.
In flower when I got home today Crocus pelistericus white form.
It could be early, but you were at too low altitudes. C. sieberi are blooming there up to June, you only must walk higher and higher. Last year spring was very late and even lowest altitudes of sieberi were covered with deep snow.
Very good white pelistericus! I haven't such.
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Janis
it was my fourth visit so I know the area well and I have seen the sieberi there as low as the entrance to the Samaria Gorge on previous times. It was very dry and there was no snow even quite high. Most of the early spring foliage was already turning brown. On the plus side the tulips were magnificent the best we have ever seen them. The pluses and minuses of looking for plants.
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An interesting result from a cross I have made three years ago,first flowering.
I crossed a standard Crocus pelistericus with Crocus x gothenburgensis (pollen parent) and sowed the resultant seed in one pot. In the original cross for the x gothenburgensis the seed parent was the pelistericus and the pollen from scardicus.
Two of the seedlings are now in flower
Pictures
Crocus pelistericus seed parent
Crocus x gothenburgensis cr468 pollen parent
Crocus - seedlings
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Interesting, Tony. And the depth of colour in that pelistericus! Wonderful.
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I love the cream one with the lovely base
Susan
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Great job, Tony ! Super plants ! :o :o
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Finally I can show you something nice ... Crocus sieberi ssp.sublimis `Tricolor`
Best regards, Daniel
(http://666kb.com/i/cd11wor0vhu4sqc0j.jpg)
(http://666kb.com/i/cd11xar3rg4zz4pxv.jpg)
(http://666kb.com/i/cd11xsdrzdx19u3pv.jpg)
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And Tricolor is flowering here as well. A few Iris and Leucojum, the latter self-sowing like mad. Why do we not see such seed set and self-sowing with Galanthus nivalis here?
johnw
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Janis,
congratulation to your new web pages! 8)
Gerhard,
thanks for your reply reg. C. exiguus.
Tony W.,
wow stunning as every year 8) Very interesting cross!
Daniel,
nice to see snow has gone now and finally spring has waken up in your region too!
My 'Tricolor' have shown no sign of life yet in the meadow - They always flowered very late with me but I worry a bit they might be another species which did not survive last years black frosts :-\
John,
lovely clumps of spring flowers, I adore you a bit. :D Both I. reticulata & L. vernum became victims of last years black frost too.
Only Iris 'Katherine Hodgkin' survived and tiny shots appear this year. But certainly it last a couple of years to reach flowering size again.
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Not too much to show this year....
C. vernus hybrid seed raised ex Botanischer Garten Wuppertal - thanks Gerd! :D I was hoping for this type. I like the goblet flower shape and the dark tip markings from its wild ancestor - After standing more then 3 weeks in bud stage flowers have suffered from snowcover and hail.
Another C. vernus hybrid group from same source. Tiny, compact and pale like a tommie. But lovely in my eyes.
C. vernus cv. King of the Striped seedling - this year only 2/3 of its normal size and only a view flowers. The others have only 1-2 leaves.
C. heuffelianus ssp. scepusiensis (or discolor) - seed raised ex Tatra mountains. Have hand-pollinated with the other vernus hybrid forms as bees haven't flown due the low temperatures (8°C). Only a view solitary bees were active helpers for the job. ;)
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more...
C. vernus cv, Jeanne d' Arc. Has not significantly suffered from frost but is a bit short flowered and tends to fall over easily if it is windy.
In the second image the typical fine stripes inside flower are visible.
C. vernus hybrid. I like the goblet shape, stripes and large size of this one. A nice seedling in my eyes.
End of posting... :(
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Armin- maybe not much, but very pretty!
Dani
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Armin
very nice,vernus is a lovely plant. Yo are so lucky have it so warm, 8c would feel like a heatwave here.
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Armin that deep blue vernus is such a lovely colour 8)
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Thanks for all comments.
Tony, we were back to -4°C the day before yesterday night and +3°C today morning :-\
Can't confirm a heatwave either - My region is often called 'Nizza of Bavaria' because of the mild climate.
But March 2013 average temp. was just +3.2°C. The coldest March since last 30 years.
In contrast March 2012, +9.4°C average, was the warmest March since 30 years.
This sudden, unexpected weather extremes, the extraordinary min.-max. temp. fluctuations, makes us feel climate changes...
It is interesting to observe now the survival strategies i.e. of crocus, split off in many tiny bulblets when growing under stress. I have the impression everywhere in my meadow dormant seed sudden germinate... 8) Let's keep fingers crossed for a good growing season. :)
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Some beautiful underrated specimen there, Armin ! 8)
I found this seedling in flower - it's parents must have been planted over 20 years ago ???
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Many great plants were posted since I've been here last time, thanks to all.
After one month of frost I finally found some Crocus opening in the garden, although many of them are destroyed now.
Here is an overview sight from my lawn:
[attach=1]
Still many hybrids are coming out of the soil:
[attach=2]
[attach=3]
Two good hybrids that I have selected some years ago:
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- A beautiful corner of my rockgarden with Crocus albiflorus and vernus/exiguus from Croatia, and versicolor in the foreground.
- close-up of Crocus albiflorus
- close-up of Crocus vernus/exiguus
- Crocus malyi, also from Croatia
- A detailed photo of Pulsatilla (?) just opening
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First photo shows TRUE plants of Crocus etruscus.
The rest is the ligurian form of Crocus vernus with n=16
Both are very variable and can only be distinguished by their corm tunic:
etruscus has strong reticulated tunics
vernus has fine reticulated tunics
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Some chrysanthus cultivars that I have lost last winter, but found a good source to re-new them:
- Jeannine, in my opinion one of the most striking cultivars
- Skyline
- Princess Beatrix
- Eyecatcher, meanwhile I found some plants flowering in a warmer part of the garden. Last year the leaves died and so I thought I've lost it, but obviously the corm survived :D
- and finally Crocus x leonidii (angustifolius x reticulatus) Early Gold which didn't suffer from last years bad conditions
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- in the last years I have sown many Crocus seeds from my garden outside my property, mostly Crocus vernus. This is the result
- Another beautiful hybrid of Crocus vernus with white tips
- Cyclamen coum this year - last year everything out of the soil was dead and like Crocus Eyecatcher I have thought I lost it, but this year they are all back.
- Same effect was with Galanthus woronowii last year - this year the flower like nothing has happened.
- and another of those boring white flowers with green tipps, but I still love them!
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Hallo Thomas,
in spite of your sad losses you surprise us every year with your spring flowers meadow :D. Some nice chrysanthus hybrids.
I like your white tipped C. vernus, dark tipped C. heuffelianus (exiguus) and the C. etruscus!
But it seems Galanthus friendly taking over Crocus :o ;D
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Hi Thomas!
Very nice ( and sharp ) photos!!!
I'm curious on my vernus meadow.
Is still snow on it ... just arround the apple tree it bloomed like crazy today!
`Firefly`blooms too.
Unfortunately I had no camera with me.
love greetings
PS:
Yesterday:
(http://666kb.com/i/cd38nrfz7d8z56zy9.jpg)
...a Cr. tommasianus (?!)
(http://666kb.com/i/cd38odnipmmn39k01.jpg)
...still snow...
(http://666kb.com/i/cd38ow76og85kgvpd.jpg)
...nice `Tricolor`
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Some beautiful underrated specimen there, Armin ! 8)
I found this seedling in flower - it's parents must have been planted over 20 years ago ???
Luc,
thanks a lot. Your seedling is lovely, too.
Maybe a descendant from cv. Pallas or Pickwick with a pure white one :)
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But it seems Galanthus friendly taking over Crocus :o ;D
I have also trouble with that white flowering 'weed' among my crocus ;D ;D
Poul
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...a very nice tricolored fighter... :D
(http://666kb.com/i/cd49ntjgxov6xj54a.jpg)
Dani
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Good morning!
Today I saw this at 2 of my Cr.speciosus!!! :D
(http://666kb.com/i/cd4oa1spaj91y2ozl.jpg)
Dani
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Great to see your crocus lawn again, Thomas. I have ONE flower on mine!!
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Great to see your crocus lawn again, Thomas. I have ONE flower on mine!!
A good beginning, Anne ;D
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Good morning!
Today I saw this at 2 of my Cr.speciosus!!! :D
Dani
Seed pot? ;)
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We passed the first night this year without frost. It is quite dark but short moment with sun shined and we both - I and my stepdaughter Liga made some pictures of crocuses
Excellently is blooming white form of Crocus veluchensis.
From late blooming species one of most spectacular is Crocus pelistericus and its hybrid with C. scardicus - C. gothoburgensis
As last in this entry is spring blooming form of usually autumnal Crocus laevigatus from Cyclades in Greece
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Love the X gotoburgensis.
Here is one from today - C. cvijicii 'Cream of Creams' - sorry about the leaves in front of it, I was reluctant to pick it up and break off roots...
Alex
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1-Tommy Alba
2-Michael's Purple
3-Uklin Strain
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1-2 Tatra Shades
3-4 Pictus
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With me only last crocuses in greenhouse is blooming at present. Outside still are deep snow. It seems incredible that tomorrow is forecasted + 16 C. Now it is only +2.
This case I'm showing Crocus cvijiocii and its forms, on last picture seedlings from cross between cvijicii and veluchensis where cvijicii was seed parent. In two seedlings on left are dominating C. veluchensis. But I'm not keeping those.
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And now seedlings of opposite cross - where veluchensis was seed parent and cvijicii pollen donor.
On second picture Crocus pestalozzae caerulea - extremely rare in wild and was attempt to describe it as subsp., but features used for distinction too much overlap in both colour variants. May be they are different as locations are quite isolated, but then deeper research is needed.
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1-Tommy Alba
2-Michael's Purple
3-Uklin Strain
Guff,
super crocus images and all so well grown 8) Like all species & variants of the vernus and tommasinianus family.
It seems it is a perfect crocus season for you :D No weather cappers as here. Strong winds the last couple of days have snapped all last crocus flowers. The season is over. :(
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And now seedlings of opposite cross - where veluchensis was seed parent and cvijicii pollen donor.
That primrose yellow seedling at the back looks very pretty.
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phantastic flowers from all, here my last Crocus in pots:
Crocus corsicus
'' corsicus, unusual seedling ( cross with suaveolens? )
'' minimus 'Bavella'
'' cvijicii 'Creme of Cremes'
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some Crocus from vernus section outside:
Crocus albiflorus, Austrian Alps
'' vernus, Cakor Pass, Montenegro-Kosovo
'' vernus, Komovi Mts, Montenegro
'' vernus exiguus, Croatia
'' vernus 'Vanguard'
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and more:
Crocus vernus 'Yalta', vernus x tommasinianus, right is 'Harlem Gem'
'' vernus 'Fantasy', vernus x tommasinianus
'' vernus 'Snow Queen'
'' heuffelianus 'Snow Princess'
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Three days ago from snow opened bulb beds tops and today earliest crocuses are in full bloom. On picture Crocus korolkowii Lucky number. In greenhouse tha latest crocuses started blooming - Crocus minimus. I used the warm day to check my bees. They passed this unusually long winter succesfully, only one family is weak but queen started to lay egs, so I hope to quick recovery.
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Hi!
Photos of the last days... :D
Cr. etruscus ´Zwanenburg`
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd3wru78bupzyk6k.jpg)
Cr.ancyrensis `Golden Bunch`
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd3ysumlwb59ovcc.jpg)
Cr.angustifolius
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd401l3sa1e316ek.jpg)
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd40siqs6bt4jmp8.jpg)
Cr.chrysanthus `Blue Pearl`
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd41dtip31usnc8c.jpg)
Cr.chry. `Romance`
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd460yoekf74eht8.jpg)
falsh Cr.chry.`Dorothy`--> ``Romance`too?!
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd424qhc2dlux6lo.jpg)
Cr.chry.`Fuscontinctus`
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd47s7ar9m49bt7w.jpg)
Cr.chry.`Prince Claus`
(http://666kb.com/i/cdd48zqqgo78mxigc.jpg)
others photos are following...
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Cr.chry.`Snowbunting`
(http://666kb.com/i/cddweswvatvs97wst.jpg)
Cr.fleischeri
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwf5ab8g9t4oy4t.jpg)
Cr.korolkowi
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwfdr691d6hund9.jpg)
mini but a Cr.minimus?!
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwftfxy3g3m9pe5.jpg)
Cr.sieberi `Hubert Edelsten`
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwg1hm00x6dvdfx.jpg)
Cr.tommasinianus `Roseus`
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwggott99oas0ct.jpg)
Cr.tommasinianus `Ruby Giant`
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwh2cwzd6bk08gd.jpg)
Cr.vernus `Pickwick`
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwh6ek8fjyavh71.jpg)
Cr.vernus `Vanguard`
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwhqfardg0l6ytp.jpg)
Cr.vernus x tommasinianus `Yalta`
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwdblgltrxle8ct.jpg)
"wild" Cr.vernus albiflorus ??
(http://666kb.com/i/cddwe9sfzlv1asij1.jpg)
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Crocus nevadensis
Eastern Sierra Nevada, 2100-2500 m, last week
Mostly single plants rather than clumps, showing only slight colour variation
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A lovely sight. 8)
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Seems I never did post the link to the video I took of my coum and crocus bed. Put on 360 or higher for good video
Coum and Crocus Bed 4 4 2013 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDCSTRwqllk#)
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Seems I never did post the link to the video I took of my coum and crocus bed.
Now that is a cheerful sight - and see how many happy pollinators there are flying!
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It did turn out nice, was very pretty. I did lose a lot of my flowering size coum, now there are thousands of coum seedlings all over the bed.
I did start on my grass bank last summer. This summer I didn't have time to plant any bulbs, but I did dig more holes. Where it says crocus planted they were planted last summer. Was going to dig holes on the whole bank, but winter is closing in so I don't think I will get to it. Next summer I will plant the crocus seedling bulbs.
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Thomas you just sprinkle/toss the crocus seeds in the grass and they will grow? I may have to try that, in a flat grass area. Would save a lot of work and time. I suppose it takes them longer to get to flowering size when they have to pull themselves down into the soil?
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Think I'm going to rake my smaller section of grass bank with a hard steel rake to make grooves in the grass/dirt, then sprinkle the seeds. Then put down some dirt/compost so the seeds don't get washed away. Going to try this come summer.
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Thomas you just sprinkle/toss the crocus seeds in the grass and they will grow? I may have to try that, in a flat grass area. Would save a lot of work and time. I suppose it takes them longer to get to flowering size when they have to pull themselves down into the soil?
Yes, you're right - it takes 4 or 5 years until the corms reach flowering size.
But it's much easier to handle... ::)
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A white-flowered mutation of 'Ruby Giant' in my culture. The latter certainly doesn't belong to
Crocus tomassinianus as generally claimed, but tho the heuffelianus - vernus alliance.
'Ruby Giant' left, Crocus heuffelianus var. scepusiensis right.
[attachimg=1]