Fall blooming crocus at Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Spring flowering crocus planted around stewartia

Crocus (Crocus spp.) can be your wake-up reminder that winter is coming to an end (USDA hardiness zones 3- 8). They bloom in late winter (in the south); fall blooming varieties are also available. Bulbs (they’re actually “corms”) are available in flower colors from blue, purple, white, yellow, and mixed shades.

Choose from large and small flowered types. Six petal, cup shaped flowers stand tall above the foliage which emerges as bright green blades of grass with a center white stripe. The grassy foliage grows taller after flowers wither away.

Crocus thrive in full sun and tend to bloom earlier than those planted in partial shade. They prefer a well-drained soil with pH of 6.0 – 7.0. Crocus generally fail sown in soggy ground. Flower buds open to warming early morning sunlight, and close up in cloudy weather and in the evening. Crocus bloom and easily naturalize where winters are cold. Sow corms in mid-fall because they require 12-15 weeks planted in cold soil (35 – 45 °F) to initiate blooms.

Crocus grow 3- 8 inches high depending on variety. Sow drifts of crocus in several places around the garden, under trees, sprinkled in the lawn, in alpine and rock gardens, and in containers. Interplant crocus with short growing narcissus, hyacinths and tulips, and pansies and violas. Plant them where perennials emerge in mid-spring and crocus foliage has died back.

Crocus grow carefree for many years. They may become susceptible to virus diseases which cause leaf distortions and streaking; bloom buds fail to open. Dig up and dispose of virus infected plants to prevent spreading diseases. Crocus may be menaced by deer, chipmunks, rabbits and squirrels which eat the corms, leaves and flowers. Voles feed on the corms.

The ancient Greeks collected and dried the stigmas from autumn-flowering crocus (C. sativus) to make saffron herb used in food dishes.

Crocus may be purchased at most garden centers in the fall. For wider choice of varieties, including hard to find fall crocus, buy from a mail order supplier like Brent and Becky’s Bulbs in Gloucester, VA.