Crocuses

For many gardeners the beginning of spring coincides with the first bright crocus blossoms regardless of what the calendar says. After weeks or months of landscapes filled with grays, tawnies, taupes and beiges, patches of vibrant color are more than a little welcome. Crocus flowers are gently rounded, cup-shaped blooms with six petals, and are framed by deep green, grassy foliage. Their low profile makes them perfect for edgings, rock gardens and bright beginnings in perennial beds.

Snow crocus are so named because their colorful flowers often appear just a few days after the last snows; sometimes they even peek up through the white crystals. These bloom about two weeks before the classic Dutch crocuses. The flowers of Crocus chrysanthus, or snow crocuses, are a bit smaller than those of their Holland relatives but the colors are pure and oh-so-appealing on cold March days.

Tommasinianus, or Tommies, are also early bloomers and flower in shades of soft lilac, purple, plum and blues. Tommies are somewhat squirrel resistant and are recommended for gardeners who arm wrestle yearly with the squirrels to see who will most enjoy the crocuses.

Dutch crocus, C. vernus, are the latest blooming of the group and they produce the largest flowers. Plant them with Snows and Tommies to stretch the crocus season for a full month. Snow, Tommasinianus and Dutch crocus bulbs are small, inexpensive, and easy to tuck 4-5 inches into the soil. Over time these bulbs spread by form irregular swaths of cream, yellow, gold, purple and blue or tapestry mixes of these shades.  

And finally, Crocus Sativus is included here because it falls into this group botanically, but typically this plant is grown for its culinary contributions rather than for its flowers. Dried flower parts are sold as saffron, the popular spice used to flavor and color Spanish, Indian and other ethnic foods, but there's no reason this crocus should be excluded from flower beds. With a cheery purple bloom and bright red stamen, saffron crocus flowers are just as pretty as some of the purely ornamental crocus cultivars.

Extend your much anticipated crocus blooming season by planting varieties from both early and later flower types. Dutch, Snows and Tommies make good naturalizing candidates for lawn sparkles, assuming you can wait just a little longer than usual for your fist mowing of the season so that the foliage has time to mature and die back. They'll even spread slowly through little offset bulbs, making the show better with each passing spring. All are deer resistant.

Prices below are for packages of 25 bulbs, all in the largest sizes commercially available. Exceptions: Instant Spring mix and saffron crocuses - see listings for details.

Shipping note: Crocus bulbs ship from mid September through December.