Crocus March 2009

[Sinchets]

Simon I live just this side of Bulgarian frontier. I am sure that is C. olivieri subsp. olivieri and it is very common here. C. flavus subsp. flavus is more rare for that location.

Thanks Ibrahim. It is a beautiful and wild area of Bulgaria with a great diversity of flora. Is it the same on your side of the border?

[Alex]

Things move on so quickly! - but, from yesterday, thank you all for advice on C. pelistericus repotting.

Cheers,

Alex

[Janis Ruksans]

Maggi,

What fantastic C. pelistericus. Can I ask, how often do you repot them?

Alex

I never repot mine,I have just put the ball of compost into a bigger pot without disturbing the roots.

Janis I find your comments on Crocus veluchensis roots very interesting because I always dry mine off. Not any more, I will try your method but can you tell me does the same apply to Crocus sieberi and do you treat them the same?

No, Crocus sieberi likes dry rest. It is only veluchensis of such crazy habit. I use it for quick seperation between veluchensis and vernus as some forms look quite similar by flowers. Any doubt is solved at harvesting just by new roots on veluchensis.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Any help with this Crocus found in SE Bulgaria about 5m above sealevel in a sandy soil. The style is six branched and the anthers are smaller than 'typical' Crocus flavus we have here. The floral tube is a bronzy brown and there is a faint greenish black streaking  leading from this to the petals. Flora Bulgarica lists only Crocus flavus for this area. Sorry no side view available the pics were taken on site and the side shot didn't work.

That is C. olivieri.
Janis

[Gunilla]

Gunilla, your unknown Crocus looks like vernus to me, although I also see a yellow throat, which would exclude vernus.

For instance, do you think the yellow color in the throat is real color? Might it simply be a reflection of the color of the anthers?

I have looked closely now and the throat is not yellow, as you thought Jim, it is only a reflection of the colour of the anthers.

[Sinchets]

 That is C. olivieri. Janis [/quote]
Thanks Janis

[Thomas Huber]

Thanks Gunilla for clearing the throat colour of your mystery crocus - so it's C. vernus.

Jim, the flower height was judged simply by noting that Gunilla's plant is flowering on a very short stem, while true 'Herald' is a very large chrysanthus cultivar with a different flower shape. If I say throat colour I mean the OUTER throat-colour of Gunilla's plant. True Herald, as seen in the New-Plantsmen article 3/97 by Johann van Scheepen and in my garden, has a dark outer-throat colour. Your first plant looks like Herald, except the brighter throat, but your second photo surely isn't Herald - perhaps a seedling?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thomas,
What happened with your photo camera 
We're still waiting impatiently to see the 2009 version of your Crocus Wiese !    

[Thomas Huber]

Thomas,
What happened with your photo camera 
We're still waiting impatiently to see the 2009 version of your Crocus Wiese !    

Luc, I had hope, that nobody would realize that  I'm still sooo busy in my job, that
I don't have time to make photos. The few I took still have to be selected, reduced
and posted, sorry 

[Janis Ruksans]

The first pair of sunny hours this spring! Really the second time but during first I was away in mountains of Crimea. So crocuses opened and I run to greenhouse through deep snow covering all outside (it is again snowing...). On first picture one of crocus beds in greenhouse.
And came quite great surprise. I never before noted great changes in crocus color from season to season. It is quite common in other bulbs, but in crocuses? The first signal came few weeks ago when I got complaint from one of my customers about my variety Crocus sieberi 'Cretan Snow'. On picture mailed to me it had some purple shading on petals back didn't note by me before and I even supposed that it is seedling of Cretan Snow for some mistake sent instead of true. Now all my 'Cretan Snow' has such petals back-color.
Two years ago I got from Gothenburg a seedling of Crocus malyi x unknown. I marked it as "nothing special" both years - you can see it on picture #1 made in spring 2008. On next pair of pictures the same pot (I didn't replant it last season) this spring. How nice plant!
Janis

[Sinchets]

Janis my Crocus sieberi 'Cretan Snow' is also blue/ purple on the outside- it is beautiful- well done for introducing it. 

[Janis Ruksans]

Now few pictures of Crocus sieberi subsp. sieberi. First two are of 'Cretan Snow' pictured spring 2008. Then variable stock from Omalos plain and as last the absolutely gorgeous form which I got from my English friend (OS-0002). By color it is almost identical to hybrid 'Hubert Edelsten' but it is smaller, rounder and of more delicate outer appearance.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

A pair more pictures. Crocus ancyrensis usually is brightest yellow. Here you can see very unusual form of it with brownish flowers found in Turkey. On first open flowers. on second in buds surrounded by usual golden colored forms.
Janis

[art600]

Janis

Stunning Crocus as always    Particularly like the 'brown' ancyrensis.

[Janis Ruksans]

Now variation in Crocus abantensis - traditional widespread form and dark lilac, striped and white
Janis