I found out the other day that crocus don’t actually need sunshine to open their flowers wide, they just need the temperature to rise a bit. Our temperatures had been at around +4/5 C for some time, when they suddenly shot up to +13 C, such a difference.
Crocus tommasinianus
While the temperatures were low, the flowers stayed tightly closed. It was as if they knew that there wouldn’t be any bees around to pollinate them and therefore they would stay closed to protect their pollen and nectar.
Crocua tommasinianus.
Once the temperature had risen though, in spite of it being a dull overcast day, it was another matter, the flowers opened and yes, the bees were there to take advantage of the goodies that were on offer.
Crocus tommasinianus
Crocus tommasinianus
Crocus tommasinianus
Crocus tommasinianus Whitewell Purple.
Crocus tommasinianus Whitewell Purple.
Woodland.
Woodland.
I must buy some more corms next autumn, the original flowers are now seeding about, but waiting for them to get to flowering size is making me impatient, I would like more, lots more!
I also think I would like some in the back lawn near the woodland, I’m sure someone could manage to avoid chopping the leaves off after the flowers are over. Crocus tommasinianus are such cheerful little flowers, I feel another drift coming on!
The weather has changed once more since I wrote this post, we are now having freezing temperatures at night time, but wall to wall sunshine during the day. To be able to get onto the garden once more is wonderful, it is drying out remarkably quickly and I can now see all the work that needs doing – I might be gone for quite some time!
Your woodland is looking glorious Pauline. I shall be doing a pitch inspection and hoping to get outside this afternoon. Oh, can’t wait!
Thanks Jessica, more flowers are opening every day, it is so wonderful not to be squelching round in the rain! The lawn yesterday felt soft, but at least I wasn’t sinking in any more, hopefully it will dry out more in the next few days then maybe, just maybe, we can beat the rain and get it cut!
That’s interesting about crocus and warmth/sunshine, Pauiline – thanks for sharing that info. I am really beginning to appreciate my crocus now they are spreading and I added some Lilac Beauty to the Barr’s Purple last year – just coming into flower now so a little later than the others
I was quite surprised to see the crocus open Cathy, when we hadn’t had any sun, but then it dawned on me that it was so much warmer and bees were buzzing. I think they look so pretty between the snowdrops, so must buy more in the autumn.
I planted quite a few tommies a couple of years ago and am also enjoying their cheerful color. Your comment, “I feel another drift coming on” made me laugh out loud. Last fall I planted some species tulips as well, one variety of which is blooming beautifully now. This year, I’ll certainly add more. Your woodland with snowdrops, cyclamen, and crocus is a visual symphony! Gorgeous!
Thank you Peter, you are kind! When I first started the garden here I wanted one of everything, just like a child in a sweetie shop! Over the years though, I have found that it’s better to have drifts of plants that are happy than plenty that are struggling. It took me a while to understand all the different areas of soil that we have here and the soil in the woodland seems to suit the crocus for some reason. I like the sound of your species tulips, are you going to share a photo of them?
You have so many beautiful spring flowers in your woodland, Pauline. I do love to see the crocuses opening out when the temperature changes.
Thank you Wendy, the woodland is a very special place for me with all its little spring flowers. I love going there each day to see what has opened up overnight, there is usually something new attracting attention.
what are those beautiful big marbled leaves?
I think they can only be the leaves of Cyclamen hederifolium Diana, but they aren’t really very big.
Just what spring should look like….here we need a bit of sun too to dry out the flooding.
Thanks Donna, I think spring has arrived here and we are at last, drying out after all the floods that we have had. We have now had almost a week without rain, and it makes such a difference!
Hi Pauline,
Your Crocus(es?) are wonderful! What color. Your woodland garden is beautiful. It’s such good news to hear that Spring is starting to leave it’s footprints on the earth…it won’t be long now before all of the Northern Hemisphere is coming to life.
Hi Sally, what a lovely phrase “Spring is starting to leave it’s footprint on the earth”, that is exactly how it feels at the moment.
Our soil is improved heavy clay which is too wet in the winter, most crocus don’t like it, but fortunately C. tommasinianus do, so I must buy more for next year.
Thank you for telling us about how they react to warmth. It is useful to know.
I was very surprised Alain when I found the flowers wide open on a very dull grey day. Our temperatures shot up for just a couple of days, it was far too warm for February, the bees and the flowers made the most of the opportunity.
I really do agree with you about planting in drifts – it’s really stunning and somehow even more so in your woodloand setting. I didn’t know that about the crocus so I will be keeping a close watch on mine when they open. Glad to hear your garden is finally drying out a bit!
I can actually walk around the whole garden Denise, it is wonderful!
I have found with other flowers that drifts look far more natural, especially in the woodland, so must add crocus to the snowdrops and fritillaries.
Thanks for sharing your observations about the crocus and temperature/sun; that means I could think about planting some in my new woodland path. It is slowly dawning on me that bulbs are an excellent choice here as many disappear during the hot dry months and don’t need summer irrigation; Narcissus are an exception to that though so I have to plant them with the dahlias in the cuttings beds.
Early bulbs really do so well in a woodland situation when there is plenty of light for them Christina, I think also that the roots of the trees mean that the soil is nice and dry in the summer while they are dormant. My crocus are seeding about, a lot of the seedlings are coming up in the bark chipping path, so I think I will have to move them as it is so difficult trying not to step on them!
Your observation about the temperature versus sunlight triggering bees/crocuses to open is very interesting, I hadn’t noticed the connection. Thank you. Will you plant more of the species or add different forms of it, like Whitewell Purple? I wonder if they’re all as vigorous as each other ….
I think I will plant more of the species Kate as they seed themselves about. I have some C.Whitewell Purple at the end of the woodland and though the clump is increasing, they don’t seem to have produced any seedlings. They have been there for quite a number of years now, so if there were going to be any seedlings I would have seen them by now.
Hi Pauline. You have confirmed precisely what I was thinking yesterday: we had warm sunshine on Monday and my crocus all opened for the first time, with a few bees visiting… then yesterday we were back to just 4°C but sunshine and they remained tightly shut. I wonder if yours are spreading? I find it hard to get crocus established as the mice seem to like the newly planted bulbs in autumn!
Yes Cathy, mine are spreading nicely, I started out with just one little clump of about 10 bulbs. We now have a few flowers opening up some distance from the original clump. We also have lots of foliage where flowers will probably appear next year or the year after. I always mulch the woodland with leafmould just before the snowdrops open and I think this maybe is the the sort of soil that the crocus seeds like, although they seem to like the bark chipping path too!
I love crocus… they really tell me that spring is on its way. The Lilac Beauty crocus you show are gorgeous. If you feel a drift coming on, I feel an order for more Lilac Beauties, come the fall.
Lovely to hear from you Pat, I too love crocus, but most crocus don’t like our wet winters. Crocus tommasinianus seems to be the exception to the rule and is seeding about happily in our little strip of woodland. Yes, I can see a large order going off in the autumn for more “Tommies”!
I love all your woodland early bulbs. What a joy when they spread into drifts.
Our lawn had its first cut today so it looks like a garden again. Everything looks so spring -like, but it is still so cold.
Thank you Chloris, the bulbs are spreading in their own time, I can’t wait for the drifts to be a lot larger! We might, just might, get our first cut of the lawn tomorrow or Sunday, after that it is more rain, so I hope we can do it as it is drying out quite well now.
They look so pretty when they open wide like that. So lovely in big drifts like you have. It has been so nice to have a few dry days together hasn’t it.
They do look lovely when they’re open don’t they Annie, the few days of sunshine has made such a difference.
Today though we have had horrendous gales and horizontal hailstones, I think the crocus might now be over, I’ll find out in the morning!