What is looking good today, good enough to be linked to “Looking good on Friday” hosted by Gillian at Country Garden UK... Once again it turned out to be something that has been flowering for quite some time now, but is still putting out new flowers…….Colchicums.
Colchicums.
Colchicums.
In the spring, up pop large, juicy, strap like leaves which look really nice when they are fresh and green, but when they turn to yellow and flop, they can be a bit of an eyesore.
Colchicums.
I suppose it all depends on what you have planted around them to distract the eye in the spring, these plants then also help to support the bulbs in the autumn.
Colchicum
The bulbs do tend to flop while flowering, if a gust of wind catches them plus the flowerheads are quite heavy for the stalks to hold erect.
Colchicums.
This is why I like my bulbs to grow through low plants that can add protection from any wind.
Colchicums.
I really must put some bulbs into the woodland, the colours are the same as Cyclamen hederifolium and I think they would look rather nice together. I have a patch of hardy geranium which they could grow through and I think should grow well together.
Lots more buds keep appearing, so I think we should be enjoying more Colchicum flowers for a while yet, it depends on the weather!
Beautiful – I have ony one Colchicum autumnale in the garden!
Sigrun
Your one bulb will soon multiply Sigrun, I only had a couple to start with.
Beautiful, Pauline; I do love autumn bulbs, I’ve noticed that my saffron crocus are pushing through the soil and will I’m sure flower in a couple of weeks.
I tried Saffron crocus once Christina, but wasn’t very successful, I don’t think we are hot enough here, they should certainly like it with you! I’m trying yo get more autumn bulbs here, I think I concentrate too much on spring bulbs.
I love the Colchicums. I like your idea of using them through a light ground cover to help support them…the wind pushing them over is one thing that has always deterred me from planting them
I think Matt, that Colchicums are big enough and strong enough to push through light ground cover and they are protected to a certain extent from the wind. I will try this in the woodland and hope it works, it has done for the other plantings that I have of them.
Your Colchicums are gentle souls Pauline. Very rewarding to have them in the garden I would imagine. I must look for some too!
Yes Susie, I forget that I have them during the summer, then they suddenly pop up in the autumn and look so pretty, I must get more autumn bulbs!
They are just lovely! What beautiful forms and colors. I’ve just planted our first bulbs for Autumn Crocus. Thank you for the tip to plant the bulbs so they grow through low growing perennials. A great tip!
Thank you Woodland gnome for stopping by and leaving a message. I think autumn crocus will need different conditions from Colchicum. I would imagine they would need a very sunny spot so that the bulbs can be baked in the summer, I’ve never planted any, maybe I ought to give them a try.
I went to Beth Chatto’ s yesterday. Her woodland was bejewelled with colchicums throughout. It looked wonderful as there was nothing else in bloom.
I am sorry that I haven’ t managed to send off your Diascia yet as promised, but it has been one of those weeks! I really will send it next week.
How wonderful, Beth Chatto’s garden is my all time favourite! When our daughter lived in Essex for a while, we tried to visit each time we went to see her, no matter what time of year we went, there was always something to inspire me.
Don’t worry about the Diascia, I know how it is, busy, busy, busy, so many things to do and not enough time to do them!
You are quite right about growing plants through others that can support them. It’s frustrating to have them broken off by the wind as soon as they flower… especially when you have waited all year for them!
It is frustrating to have them spoilt by the wind Gillian. Both lots of mine are in sheltered spots, but even there they can be spoilt if we have a gale!
What a helpful idea to plant them among groundcover. My first two blew over even before they bloomed. Yours are quite nice. I especially like the pale one with a bit of fern.
I’m sure I can find some groundcover in the woodland Marian, but it also musn’t be too thick or be overwhelmed in the spring when the large leaves are marking the spot where the bulbs are. So sorry yours blew over, maybe they just need some plants around them for protection.
Hi Pauline,
These are lovely. I was not familiar with them. The color is lovely, and I like how you have them growing up through other plants that can support them. I think they would be fabulous in your woodland garden.
I think the colours would fit in nicely with all the little cyclamen Deb. I’ll have to get a bit more ground cover in the woodland to help protect them from the wind, although it is fairly sheltered in there.
Hi Pauline, The Colchiums are beautiful! I have been looking high and low for more Fall bloomers……Colchiums seem to fit the bill! Thanks for sharing!
I too don’t seem to have enough autumn flowering bulbs Sally, there are plenty of places where I could fit in a few more and there are quite a few varieties of Colchicum.
What a beautiful little flower. You have inspired me to get some, thanks for the tip of planting them through low growing plants.xxx
So glad you like the Colchicums Dina, they make a lovely splash of colour which comes as a surprise as I always forget about them once their foliage dies down in the spring.
What gorgeous colours Pauline. I’m still trying to learn what plants make good companions for bulbs and what swamp them. Gernaiums were a favourite of Christopher Lloyd’s too, though presumably even then you have to be careful to pick the less vigorous ones. I’m going to try lamium under my birches.
They are a lovely colour Janet, I think they would tone beautifully with Cyclamen. It’s a shame that their leaves come in spring as they would help to hold the heads up when flowering. I hope you’re not going to plant Lamium galeobdolon, A friend gave me some and I am now pulling it out by the armful as it tries to take over the world! There are plenty more that are well behaved, thank goodness!
It was really interesting reading about your thinking how to make these quite difficult (but lovely and highly desirable) bulbs fit into the picture. It can be a challenge finding plants that grow well together.
Thanks Catmint, the problem with the Colchicums is that they can’t hold up their heads without something to support them. It wouldn’t be a problem if they had their leaves at the same time, but their stems are just too thin to hold the flowers up.
Gorgeous! One of my favorite flowers. Well not so much when the foliage starts turning yellow and flopping over but that’s a small price to pay for their autumn show!
I’m glad you love them too Peter! I try to have other perennials each side of the Colchicums to try and hide the messy foliage while it is dying back, it seems to work.
I would never have thought of planting colchicums in the woodland but will consider moving some of mine there having read this – thanks for that!
There are a couple of places Cathy, where the sun gets through, so hopefully they will be ok. One of my other clumps, behind the alpine scree, is in the shade of a Prunus Kojo no mai. As the tree has grown the bulbs are in more and more shade, but they don’t seem bothered so far, thank goodness.