Saffron Crocus
Autumn brings surprise treats for gardeners and pollinators alike, in the form of fall-planted, fall-blooming bulbs! Hardy varieties like ‘Waterlily’ Colchicum, Saffron Crocus and Autumn Crocus should be planted NOW to start richly colored colonies of these hardy fall bloomers that will grow larger and longer-blooming each year! You will love their surprise appearance just when you thought there’d be no more flowers, and so will your local pollinators!
These healthy, hardy bulbs are here just in time for planting so they will bloom this fall.
Waterlily Colchicum blooms are big (4”+) and showy, and each bulb will produce a whole bouquet over several weeks in October. And deer, rabbits and other rodents leave them alone.
Purple Autumn Crocus (C. speciosa) usually bloom in October, too, followed into November by Saffron Crocus (C. sativa), with their famously fragrant, edible and striking scarlet stigmas. All three bloom without foliage, which makes its solo appearance in spring.
Both of these Crocus species are perfect for planting among groundcovers like Plumbago, Creeping Sedum varieties, creeping Veronica varieties, Potentilla, Snow-in-Summer, and any others that are not too dense.
Water lily
Don’t forget to pick up some bone meal – this amendment helps all bulbs get established.
(Correction: The photo in the Mailchimp version of this article is actually Saffron Crocus.)
Autumn Crocus