Crocus October-2012

[Janis Ruksans]

Yes, crocus blooming season is quite poor this year (judging by very few entries in forum). With me blooming just now got some speed but I have very little time to visit blooming beds as I'm in hurry to finish replanting - hope to end tomorrow or next week as during weekend I will be in Sweden with lecture and bulb sales in Upsala and after that visiting old friends in Gothenburgh Botanical garden. Still left replant only Alliums and on the first picture you can see how looks bulbs of American's after placing in boxes.
From Crocuses I can show you only two - Crocus pulchellus from Chios Island (Greece just at Turkish border) - quite pale form. Blooms many aquisitions of pallasii from Chios - several with black anthers resembling form homerii, but less spectacular (may be still didn't returned power after early collecting). But pictures of those I didn't prepared for Forum (forgot camera in office). Here I'm including one picture of speciosus ilgazensis, too.
Janis

[Natalia]

!!!!

Janis, tell me, what is the black stuff in boxes, what is it for?

[WimB]

Some in flower here now:

Crocus speciosus 'Oxonian'
Crocus vallicola
and Crocus 'Netsuke'

[Janis Ruksans]

!!!!

Janis, tell me, what is the black stuff in boxes, what is it for?

It is poliethylene film. In ends of boxes are holes for hands or hooks to pick up boxes. To close those holes (for soil will not fall out) and still keep possibility to pick up the box, I use polyethilene film.
Janis

[daveyp1970]

It is poliethylene film. In ends of boxes are holes for hands or hooks to pick up boxes. To close those holes (for soil will not fall out) and still keep possibility to pick up the box, I use polyethilene film.
Janis

what compost are you using Janis,it resembles sharp sand?

[Janis Ruksans]

what compost are you using Janis,it resembles sharp sand?

No, I'm using mix maid from 2 parts of sharp sand, 1 part of peat moss and 1 part of loam + dolomite chalk to adjust pH 6,5 + slow releasing complex fertilizer of equal ammount NPK + microelements (Company YARA). But compost is pressed down, covered by sharp sand, yhen placed bulbs (on picture), they are covered by sharp sand and on top goes the same mix and on very top stone chips - real layered cake.
Watering allways with addition of crystalon (Yara Company) - easy soluable fertilizer with microelement complex, now with less nitrogen and double potash, in early spring all NPK in equal ammount, from mid season the same autumn variant with double potash.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

For long time are blooming Crocus pallasii. On this entry pictures of various aquisitions from Chios and from Samos Islands - Greece, just at Turkish border. All belongs to type subsp, but some has black anthers. Such pallasii I noted only on Chios, but it is very variable, Really seem that black anthered plants forms minority, although corms were collected in spring, out of flowers. Must go there in autumn, to see them in full bloom to judge about distribution of black anthered forms. Pity, I hoped that they could be new subspecies but DNA show that there are no difference from W Turkish plants.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

My friend from Northern Ireland, famous daffodil breader Brian Duncan, finished hybridising of large blooming daffodils. But no one gardener can stop activities and so he now turned to miniature species and every year he goes to Spain and Portugal searching for new natural hybrids, exploring distribution of wild daffodils. This spring Brian collected few Crocuses for me and one of them blooms just now - it turned Crocus nudiflorus - very pretty form. I very like its pure white flower tube and throat.
Another two pictures show you Iranian speciosus.
Janis

[Pauli]

Hello,
because of our long and rather dry late summer-autumn, my Croci seem to bloom later!
I was already rather nervous, but now flowers are popping up:
Crocus goulimyi leucanthus
Crocus goulimyi
Crocus boryi

[daveyp1970]

No, I'm using mix maid from 2 parts of sharp sand, 1 part of peat moss and 1 part of loam + dolomite chalk to adjust pH 6,5 + slow releasing complex fertilizer of equal ammount NPK + microelements (Company YARA). But compost is pressed down, covered by sharp sand, yhen placed bulbs (on picture), they are covered by sharp sand and on top goes the same mix and on very top stone chips - real layered cake.
Watering allways with addition of crystalon (Yara Company) - easy soluable fertilizer with microelement complex, now with less nitrogen and double potash, in early spring all NPK in equal ammount, from mid season the same autumn variant with double potash.
Janis

Thank you Janis for taking the time to go through that with me.

[Armin]

Janis,
your forms of C. pallassii from Chios are very lovely.
After years studying posted crocus images on this forum and in my garden it still amazes me how variable and nicely crocus can flower. There are still unexpected surprises. This makes the whole genus so mysterious and exiting.

Herbert,
I adore you for the nice clump of C.goulimyi and the nice C. boryi . It seems on the images you grow them outside. Lucky you if you had no losses by black frosts from spring.

[ArnoldT]

Bloomed the same day last year.

Crocus speciosus

[udo]

I must agree Janis, also here many Crocus blossom a little earlier than during the last years, unfortunately, often only with few flowers.
in open land:
Crocus kotschyanus var leucopharynx
    "      medius
    "      robertianus
in the pots:
Crocus hadriaticus x sativus F1 hybrid
    "      pallasii
    "      veneris, a very small form

[pontus]

Yes, here as well the autumn crocus season has not been good at all this year...I wonder why?

the fact that the weather has been very bad cold and rainy from mid september onwards, with only a few warm sunny days has not helped the flowers either. They barely open, and only last a few days, and then turn into slimey remains...!

The nicest one here now is crocus kotchyanus cappandocius, a fabulous colour. It loved the sunny warm weekend to finally open fully.

I also have palissi turcicus in bloom, which i will upload tomorrow.

still to flower hopefully are golimyi, medius, mathewii dram dancer, hedriaticus, boryi, scharojanii, kotchyanus, a few more forms of speciosus, banaticus snowdrift and pulchellus, just starting.

Lets hope for some warm sunny days in october!!

Pontus

[pehe]

Janis, that dark throated form of palasii (no 60) are very beautiful!

Some crocus from my garden:

1. Crocus banaticus seedlings
2. The same in sunshine
3. Crocus banaticus Snowdrift
4. Crocus speciosus xantholaimos
5. Crocus cartwrightianus

Poul