Crocus September - 2012

[Maggi Young]

Oh dear, Armin, that is very bad news. I know that Hubi has also lost many bulbs this year.
Tough times for many bulb growers. 

[Armin]

Indeed Maggi, tough times.

Nevertheless, I have the hope 'the survivers' will have all strong genes and are more robust to deal with my local weather conditions.
Before making new investments in corms & bulbs I'll wait until spring to see what is left over in the meadow.
Then I take a time and make a new plan...

[udo]

Nice Croci from all,
here some flowers yesterday:

Crocus banaticus
    ``    hadriaticus ssp.hadriaticus
    ``    speciosus ssp.speciosus, selection with great flower and short stem from   
            Abant Lake population,  2x
           

[Janis Ruksans]

Judging by very few entries this September it seem that last winter was real disaster for most of croconuts. With me blooming is quite poor, too. But few flowers I can show you. Most are another pictures of earlier shown species as Crocus autranii - now pot full with flowers. This one not suffered at all.
Another beauty is Crocus speciosus - many samples start blooming during last weak. Especially beautifull is new one subsp. archibaldii - two more pictures now, when it is in full bloom.
Another speciosus is the first blooming of speciosus collected during my last trip to Georgia in spring 2010 - CMGG-018 (2 pictures) - CMGG - Colin Mason's Georgian Group.
Following is speciosus received from Dirk as Crocus sp. collected at Pinarbasii in Turkey.
LST-402 looks as ilgazensis, but number certainly is wrong, because this one number belongs to cancellatus and baytopiorum collected together (corm tunics are unseparable) S of Denizli. Compare the height of stigma relating to anthers in this one and in Georgian plants. I don't think that during LST expedition we visited ilgazensis localities, so its origin remain mysterios for me. But may be it is seasonal variation. Really speciosus can be foundable even near Denizli and more to South.
And as last is the first flower of Crimean Crocus pallasii subsp. pallasii.
Just started blooming of C. vallicola, but it was too early to make picture. It is great surprise for me, because vallicolas seriously suffered last winter.
Janis

[pontus]

Here the fabulous crocus nudiflorus is enjoying the late september sunshine, kept company by the excellent crocu speciosus 'Aino' and another one of my favourites, crocus kotschyanus, flowering amonghst cyclamen hederifolium 'red sky'

Pontus

[pontus]

Kotschyanus..which did not attatch correctly in the first post...

[mark smyth]

After stock taking I've sadly to confirm ~95% losses of my crocus collection, speci tulips and others which were planted in my raised beds.

You're not the only one Armin. This years very hot March fininished off my already struggling collection. I will start again also

[tonyg]

No problems with losses here, I am seeing a recovery after the decimation of the arctic blast at the end of 2010 which wiped out all crocus in my greenhouse and set others back.  Thankfully I escaped the black frost, it was very cold but the plants were relatively dry and protected in the frames so no damage there.  I watered and shaded in March which was followed by a long cool spell, good for keeping the plants in growth and building up the corms.

The lack of flowers from me is mostly due to delayed repotting, they are only now getting their first watering and it looks like a cold, wet week which is fine by me .... looking forward to some warm sunshine in a October!

[pehe]

I have very few losses among my autumn flowering crocus and have not entirely lost a species. But the flowering is a bit later than previous years for some species. But valicola is later!
Crocus kotschyanus cappadocicus and speciosus are flowering now.
C. nudiflorus, speciosus Oxonian, speciosus Albus, valicola, gilanicus, banaticus Snowdrift and robertianus will follow soon.

Poul

[krisderaeymaeker]

I have very few losses among my autumn flowering crocus and have not entirely lost a species. But the flowering is a bit later than previous years for some species. But valicola is later!
Crocus kotschyanus cappadocicus and speciosus are flowering now.
C. nudiflorus, speciosus Oxonian, speciosus Albus, valicola, gilanicus, banaticus Snowdrift and robertianus will follow soon.
Poul

Here only Crocus banaticus and banaticus 'Snowdrift ' are flowering for the moment . Crocus kotschyanus cappadocicus wil follow this week . Al the other ones don't show much of activity ....

[pontus]

The beautifull crocus banaticus has just opened here. Strangely enough the flower this year is a deep magenta purple, while last year it was more light purple...any ideas on why this is? (i only have 1 bulb, and no seedlings so far, so the change in colour is not due to seedling variation...)

I have started growing more of my autumn crocuses in pots, as i find that usually, at the end of september and early october, at the peak time in flowering here for autumn crocus, we get torrential rain and cold, so the flowers get damaged by rain and slugs, and dont open fully.

It is also easier then to bring the pots indoors, where the flowers can open nicely. I find that it is not as much sun or light that makes crocus flowers open, but heat. Even on cloudy warm days here my speciosus are usually fully open.

i am always amazed by banaticus and its peculiarly disposed petals of unequal size, and the fact that it flowers from such a small corm!

I am crossing my thumbs for a nice flowering on my white banaticus "snowdrift", still not showing any sign of growth, also in a pot...

crocus palasii tauricus (or is it turcicus?) also opened today

Pontus

[ronm]

Hi Pontus,

I would say that the colour change is more than likely due to the effect of the direct light under which the flowers are observed. Many of these flowers have a colouration which is metameric. Observe it under indirect Northern daylight to observe its 'true ' colour.

[Melvyn Jope]

A couple of Crocus cancellatus, a nice gift from a forumist.

[Pauli]

Hello,

Croci are starting now in the open ground, nothing yet under glass!
C. goulimyi

[Janis Ruksans]

The beautifull crocus banaticus has just opened here. Strangely enough the flower this year is a deep magenta purple, while last year it was more light purple...any ideas on why this is? (i only have 1 bulb, and no seedlings so far, so the change in colour is not due to seedling variation...)

I have started growing more of my autumn crocuses in pots, as i find that usually, at the end of september and early october, at the peak time in flowering here for autumn crocus, we get torrential rain and cold, so the flowers get damaged by rain and slugs, and dont open fully.

It is also easier then to bring the pots indoors, where the flowers can open nicely. I find that it is not as much sun or light that makes crocus flowers open, but heat. Even on cloudy warm days here my speciosus are usually fully open.

i am always amazed by banaticus and its peculiarly disposed petals of unequal size, and the fact that it flowers from such a small corm!

I am crossing my thumbs for a nice flowering on my white banaticus "snowdrift", still not showing any sign of growth, also in a pot...

crocus palasii tauricus (or is it turcicus?) also opened today

Pontus

Flower colour can to change from year to year, mostly depends from temperature.
C. banaticus Snowdrift is one of latest cultivars, so don't worry. Earliest is First Snow, follows traditional blue and ends with Snowdrift (at least with me).
Correctly C. pallasii turcicus
Janis