Crocus and companion plants in the garden February 2010

[Thomas Huber]

I have taken the time and effort to pick up photos of my crocus lawn since I started it.
Watch how I started in 2001 and how it developed over the years:

[art600]

What a wonderful record of a successful Crocus lawn.  Very inspiring 

[Gerdk]

Armin, A nice and colourful planting!

Thomas, Thanks for the additional crocuses (croci?) - no violets around? 

Gerd

[Guff]

Thomas, very nice as usual. What did you do dig up the big dutch types in the grass? Or is your 2009 picture just too early?

[Armin]

Simon, I'm already exited to see your spring flower show on the forum and I agree Botanischer Garten of Wuppertal is something special

Mark, Arthur, I'm glad to read you got inspired by our "outdoor" crocus lawn pictures. If you allow nature to grow and with the help of spreading seeds it is amazing how many "weeds" and flowers return and convert the lawn to a meadow. It is a continious changing process and of many surprises.

Thomas, thanks for your tips. I've moved lot of clumps last spring after flower finished to make a beattrack surrounding my meadow. But I'm still far away from such dense crocis as in your lawn. I hope my hotel for solitary bees will be again a full success for rich pollination and plenty of seed posies later. Did you start to built a bee hotel with you son?

Gerd, the project is progressing

In the context I'm missing the marvelous meadow pictures from Franz. Would you kindly post some pictures here again?

[Sinchets]

We have a low pressure system overhead just now and last night was -11C. The air temperature today is
-4C with a clear blue sky. The sun we had yesterday and that from today has been melting snow where it is thinnest on the south side of the house. This patch of Crocus danfordiae was exposed yesterday afternoon and this morning was able to open a flower.
The first picture shows that the first flower is missing its stigma.
In the second picture you can see the stippled outer petals of the unopened buds.

[Sinchets]

Also open in the garden now the snow has melted in this area is the very last flower on my Crocus laevigatus. This patch started flowering in November, had more flowers in December, it flowered again in our warm spell in January and kept this last bud for this thaw. You can't complain with 4 months interest from one planting.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

A very brave Crocus Simon !! 

[Thomas Huber]

Gerd, only a few violets grow in my garden. I would not complain if I got more 

Guff, the photo was made to early, the big Dutchies are still in the soil, but this year I will try to reduce them by digging up.

Armin, so far no bee hotels, but as soon as the snow melts I will start to create some.

Good year for Crocus laevigatus, Simon - is this 'Fontenayi' ?

[Maggi Young]

the big Dutchies are still in the soil, but this year I will try to reduce them by digging up.

 Oh! that would be a shame..... live and let live, I say!! 

[Thomas Huber]

Don't worry, Maggi - I will not kill them, just replant in another corner of the garden or a friends garden.

[TheOnionMan]

What specifically are "bee hotels"?

[Maggi Young]

McMark.... it's just what it sounds like! See these links for more.... great concept.....

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3104.msg95002#msg95002

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3104.msg95126#msg95126

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3720.msg109804#msg109804

[Sinchets]

We just have a neighbour with beehives- if the sun is out the bees are at the flowers queuing up 

[TheOnionMan]

Thomas - great seeing the time progression on your crocus lawn, fun to see the increase from year to year.

Simon - I really like C. danfordiae, another one I don't grow.  Hard to believe that yours are in bloom now, outside, in Bulgaria!  Here there is still so much snow, and it hasn't been above freezing for many weeks.  I also like the short stubby foliage on that Crocus species, or at least short as the flowers emerge.