In my neck of the woods , even though I ’m in planting geographical zone 9a , the fall through give month are farseeing and gloomy . By the time later wintertime rolls around , I have to have a little splash of colour . The best way to get it from February to April is by planting crocuses . It seems like in just about every clause I compose , I say ‘ this is one of my best-loved flowers , ’ but crocus might in reality be my phone number one . The crocus prime is one of the first to come up late in winter or early on in the outpouring . It can even be view press triumphantly through recent snow . When it comes to live hardcore , the crocus really knows how to do it .
What is a crocus?
A crocus sounds a small bit like the sound a frog would make . Just kidding ! Crocuses are a little plant with form that bloom both in the spring and fall . It belongs to the iris home and originate from a corm , which is standardized to a bulb . Their bloom tend to be yellow , purple , pinkish , blue , or snowy .
How to grow crocuses
crocus ( Crocus sativus ) , sometimes prognosticate naked ladies or meadow orange yellow , are a hardy perennial plant that grows from a corm . It is native to Europe and piece of Asia , but is not known to be trespassing or a pain outside of its native range . The plant life does disperse a bit by develop additional corm and forming clumps , but these are quite realizable .
Your crocus plants will appreciate being planted in well - drain soil in a sunny spot , getting 6 + hours of sun late in wintertime or too soon in the spring . It can brook fond tint as well . It is a fearless perennial in zones 3 - 8 . I last in zone 9a and can get off with planting this flower here as well .
crocus are container friendly and really do n’t need to be fertilized . set your crocuses in September for cooler climates or October for warmer climates , to have prime add up up in spring . They senesce overwinter . bill : these plants are toxic to pets .
Growing crocuses in containers
crocus do all right when establish in a container . Their antecedent system do n’t go terribly abstruse , but the corms do need to be implant 3 inches recondite , so be sure to blame a container that is moderately deep . I use erstwhile vino barrel as planters for annuals at my home and have crocus implant in them so I can get an other spring flower that exit back around the time my annuals go in .
When to plant crocus corms
Crocuses should be planted in nightfall 6 - 8 week before your first frost engagement . When you plant them will be mostly determined by that rime day of the month . In colder climate , you should plant them in September to early October . In warm mood , you may wait until October to early November .
plant life corms 3 inches deep and 3 column inch asunder . Provide passable H2O , but be sure not to provide them waterlogged . Soggy soil will rot the corms , shoot down the crocuses you just implant . Crocuses should be found in well - draining soil in an area that gets full Sunday .
When do crocuses bloom?
After plant your crocus corm , do n’t be surprised if they send up folio and flowers in autumn before winter sets in . The corms use this period to get established . Over wintertime , their leave and flowers croak back in preparation to flower again in the spring . Depending on your planting zone , you could set about to see your crocuses sending up grass - like leaves as early as January or as late as March or April .
How to propagate crocuses
Propagating crocuses is an well-fixed process . If you have well - established , matured clumps of crocuses that descend up in the natural spring , it ’s highly potential that they have produced a clump of corms . In September to October , hollow up this clump of crocus corms and fall apart them . Once separated , you may replant these corms 3 inches apart , the same as you would if you were planting corm you purchased from the store .
Wildlife attracted to crocus flowers
One of the reason crocuses are such a effective flower to engraft is because they emerge early , around the same time hungry pollinator likebumblebeesbegin to awaken from hibernation . Most pollinators that are awake in other spring will be glad to visit the crocuses on your holding .
