Crocus September 2009

[jnovis]

Art, your

1781/2 Crocus mathewii grown for Crocus Group seed - it was a P & B collection

is really lovely - did you grow them from seed?

I love the purple throat and wash outside.

Yes - very pleased to say this was one of my successes 

Hi Arthur,if you get any spare seed,I would be very gatefull,Jim.Novis

[mark smyth]

Lesley sadly not. I've been applying and applying. No employers reply anymore. I said this at my last interview with the job centre and they said so many people are applying they cant reply to 100s of people. At the last last interview I had they told me 350 people applied and they ranged from long term unemployed to brick layers, architects and solicitors.

[Lesley Cox]

Mark I'm sure many Forumists are thinking of your situation and hoping things will improve. I've been there myself some years ago and it is a frightening thing, not being able to keep up with necessary payments. No dole payments are ever enough to live on. People are now saying that the recession is over or at least things are improving. Maybe so for banks and the other greedies but to my mind it won't be over until those who've lost their jobs are back in work again. I wish you well Mark.

Ashley, my poor crocus had to struggle through grass in a neglected trough. It amazes me sometimes how generous and forgiving plants can be in spite of my best efforts to kill them.

[tonyg]

A couple of pics from here today.  Quiet a few crocus in flower but you have seen them all before!

Crocus cancellatus ssp pamphyllicus - white anthers make it easy to distinguish from other cancellatus.

Crocus boryi - a nice potful.  this species has done well here in recent years, better than ever before.  Wish I could say the same for all the other autumn taxa.

Some super pics from other folk - I am almost redundant!

[mark smyth]

Thanks for the kind words Lesley. Banks suggest taking payment protect for loans and cards but when you come to make a claim they do their best to stop the claim going through and continue writing demanding letters and phoning.

Tony that's a stunning photo of Crocus cancellatus ssp pamphyllicus. You're not redundant yet because you are King Crocnut

[johnw]

Good grief the Crocus marvels   marvels   marvels just keep coming in this thread.  

Cloudy & +20c here after and wild and very wet night.

johnw

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis, Gerry, I never thought, that a bicolor form of crocus banaticus is a plant of interest. It`s nice that you also like these bicolor varieties. I have different types in my garden. All came from seed. But the time they grew is more than thirty years. Here is another type.
Poul, I like every young plant of Cb, because this crocus is able to bring such a lot of different kinds.
Gunilla, a white Cb is pure poesy.

This is one of the best banaticus I ever saw. I hear that there are clear bicolor forms, but never saw such before even on picture. I'm sawing my banaticus seeds but my whites and blues blooms at different times so interbreeding don't happen. Of course - I grow them in pots in greenhouse where flower life is shorter and so blooming of different stocks don't overlap. The first allways is white 'First Snow' follows one stock of blue from Roumania and then came white 'Snowdrift'. All other blue gatherings I lost in outside garden. And outside they usually didn't start blooming before frost came, so I only rarely saw some flower.
Janis

[Boyed]

Hagen,
Thanks for sharing those wonderful pix of bicolour crocus banaticus! I have no words; it is just splendid!
I like crocuses and they bring me a lot of joy during their blooming season, but I must confess that only some species with their cultivars appeal me very much and I mainly consentrate on them when choosing to grow in my garden. Crocus banaticus is in the list and your bicolour form just striked me.

Janis,
I also notice, that flower time is considerably shorter  indoors, so during blooming time I place some pots outdors in an open balcony (but with rain protecton) to enjoy them longer (exception are newcommers, which are pleced in quarantine and isolated from any types of insects).

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Hagen,
It's been said before, but I still want to add my praise for your wonderful bicoloured forms of C. banaticus !  They are simply stunning !!     As Gerry, I hope you get tonnes of seed..  to send to the Crocus Group, you may become an honorary member then.. 
I grow a lavender blue form outside since 2 years now and it seems to enjoy it very much !  It survived last (cold down to -14°C) Winter and judging by the number of noses showing, it seems to have multiplied nicely !

[Tony Willis]

Janis, Gerry, I never thought, that a bicolor form of crocus banaticus is a plant of interest. It`s nice that you also like these bicolor varieties. I have different types in my garden. All came from seed. But the time they grew is more than thirty years. Here is another type.
Poul, I like every young plant of Cb, because this crocus is able to bring such a lot of different kinds.
Gunilla, a white Cb is pure poesy.

This is one of the best banaticus I ever saw. I hear that there are clear bicolor forms, but never saw such before even on picture. I'm sawing my banaticus seeds but my whites and blues blooms at different times so interbreeding don't happen. Of course - I grow them in pots in greenhouse where flower life is shorter and so blooming of different stocks don't overlap. The first allways is white 'First Snow' follows one stock of blue from Roumania and then came white 'Snowdrift'. All other blue gatherings I lost in outside garden. And outside they usually didn't start blooming before frost came, so I only rarely saw some flower.
Janis

Janis have you tried putting the pollen of the early flowering ones in the fridge until the later ones flower.

I have just tried this with my mathewii which have all flowered singly but do not of course know if it has worked yet

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis have you tried putting the pollen of the early flowering ones in the fridge until the later ones flower.

I have just tried this with my mathewii which have all flowered singly but do not of course know if it has worked yet

I'm happy having time in autumn to pollinate flowers blooming in same time so I didn't tried keeping of Crocus pollens in freeze. Just running to greenhouse as between heavy showers now few moments of sun.
Janis

[mark smyth]

Could my Crocus be too warm? Their petals are rolling and at night they are not closing properly. Day time temperatures all of September have been in the high teens.

[art600]

Hi Arthur,if you get any spare seed,I would be very gatefull,Jim.Novis
[/quote]

Jim

Conditions are good, with sunshine and plenty of pollinators.  If it sets seed you shall have some.

[Hagen Engelmann]

You all have shown us such a lot of fine autumn crocus. It`s a colorful time. I thought I`m only a galanthophile.... May be I`m a little croconut too??? Today rain destroys the high goblets of Crocus banaticus. I send you a last pic of my favourites. I try to tag the bicolores, to find the right seed next spring.
Today my first autumn Galanthus rings.

[Ragged Robin]

Hagen, another wonderful planting idea - your crocus look lovely against the slate grey