Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Bulbs => Crocus => Topic started by: Alex on April 23, 2009, 07:15:17 PM

Title: C. cvijicii
Post by: Alex on April 23, 2009, 07:15:17 PM
Just a quick question as it's my first year with this one - can we expect C. cvijicii to go dormant soon along with most of the others? And I understand it should be slightly moist (not wet!) over the Summer?

Many thanks,

Alex
Title: Re: C. cvijicii
Post by: tonyg on April 23, 2009, 07:33:59 PM
Yes, it will go dormant and lose its leaves.  Good idea to keep it growing as long as possible.  Mine are still green(ish) despite the heat wave here!  Seed pods are appearing above ground now so the growing season is almost over.  I keep Crocus cvijicii in a frame with most of the other spring crocus.  I allow mine to get fairly dry before I repot but it does not want to be baked.  The sand under the pots remains damp through summer but no water is given from above.  The frame lights go on and heavy duty shade netting keeps the pots from overheating. 
Title: Re: C. cvijicii
Post by: Alex on April 24, 2009, 07:31:31 AM
Hi Tony,

Many thanks for that. One of mine is still green, the one which came up a bit later, but the other two which started very early (flowered January, I think I posted pictures!) are dying back now. I will follow your excellent advice re: dormancy.

Cheers,

Alex
Title: Re: C. cvijicii
Post by: Janis Ruksans on April 25, 2009, 07:00:32 AM
I'm returning to Forum from some time in hospital. Not so bad as I had possibility to reread manuscript and correct some faults of my new book "Growing Crocuses" for Timber Press before posting it to editors. There will be two new taxa included and some comb. nova as I see things.

But about Crocus cvijicii. Here is very late spring, still night frosts and I use early morning for Forum because still not possible to work outside. Outside planted cvijicii still are sleeping, only veluchensis just started to show noses. Other crocuses didn't look nice outside this year as mostly flowers were damaged by night frosts up to minus 6-7 C during every night last two weeks (this morning only minus 2).

Here pictures from greenhouse where cvijicii was the last bloomer together with pelistericus and scardicus. First two are of my selection 'Cream of Creams' (sometimes brownish even in color - especially in greenhouse, not so outside). Between seedlings of Cream of Creams this year appeared two purest white and two very light creamy - you can see one pair on the third slide. Unfortunately hybrid between veluchensis and cvijicii was eaten by rodents this winter - no one left.

Last autumn I baught some 20 corms from Czech supplier very late in autumn (end of September). Was schoked for very small size of corms - some 5-6 mm in diameter, but after complaint got information - wild collected, flowering size. I didn't know when ordered that bulbs could be from wild as I never sell such bulbs by myself. They came up very, very late, when I supposed them lost and all bloomed. It confirms that crocuses must be planted very early if you want good drevelopment. Late plantings blooms late, develops weeker. Cvijicii always start blooming at soil level but then flower stalk elongates. It needs moister conditions in summer, but not dramatically. Keep in soil (in garden) and all will be OK. Replant early, don't wait autumn. Excellent seeder, increases by splitting.
Janis
Title: Re: C. cvijicii
Post by: Paul T on April 25, 2009, 07:17:11 AM
Janis,

Love those creamy ones.  Such a cool colour.  I adore cvijicii, and think that the paler version is probably even nicer by the look of it.  ;D  I have to laugh at your comment about cvijicii being a good seeder..... I am not aware of anyone who has produced seed from it here in Australia.  I self pollinate it each year but to no avail unfortunately.  I am guessing that we all have a single clone here and that is why there is never any seed set.  :o  Very, very slow to increase for me, although the bulbs have increased in size quite well this year in the new crocus garden here, so I have hopes for better increase in the future.  I am guessing that the only way we're going to get seed here is to bring in seed from somewhere else first to give us extra clones to start the process.  Now if we could also bring in some seed from that cream one.  ;D ;D ;)

Thanks very much for your pictures.  Always a joy to see these new things that you have coming along. 8)  And here's hoping that the hospital visits are over and that all is well.  It is never good to be sick!  :'(
Title: Re: C. cvijicii
Post by: Alex on April 25, 2009, 10:24:09 AM
Thank you Janis, and some great pictures, especially your pure white form.

It may be no surprise some of my cvijicii are going down since they've been up and growing well over 3 months now.

I echo the hope of no more hospital visits for you!

Alex
Title: Re: C. cvijicii
Post by: Tony Willis on April 25, 2009, 11:45:14 AM
Janis very nice plants.I really like the paler ones and the white form. I have never managed to get seed on cvijicii and in fact find it difficult to grow. This year has been better and I have crossed it with sieberi and see that I have a seed pod ripening.
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