Crocus: flowering period, cultivation & care

The crocus has strong colors and an attractive flower at the beginning of the garden year. Here you can find out everything about growing crocuses in your own garden.

The crocus (Crocus) belongs to the iris family (Iridaceae), with its colorful flowers marks the end of gray winter and heralds the beginning of colorful spring. With a flowering period that begins as early as February, it is not uncommon to see it carefully peeking out of the last layers of snow. The purple, blue, white, yellow or multi-colored banded dabs of color of the flower leaves make everyone's heart open after the dreary season.

Crocus flower: characteristics and flowering period

The flower of the crocus makes up almost all of the above-ground part of the plant until it is pollinated. Pollination heralds fruit formation. Only then does a short capsule stalk form, which is important for the seed to spread. The individual leaves of the flower are colored in white, purple or blue tones. When you think of crocuses, one thinks first of all of the dainty plants that bring the world back to life from its hibernation with their imposing flowers in late winter or spring. But you can also admire their hustle and bustle in autumn. Autumn crocuses - as the name suggests - are in full bloom in autumn. One example is the magnificent crocus (Crocus speciosus).

Crocus bloom in spring

The spring crocuses bloom in February and some varieties continue into April. They are among the early bloomers and are not only the harbingers of spring, but also supply bumblebees and bees with nectar and pollen in a still barren environment.

The main ornamental varieties are: Spring crocus (Crocus vernus), large-flowered breeding hybrids from small crocus / gold crocus (Crocus chrysanthus), Kalkan crocus (Crocus flavus), Sieber Crocus (Crocus sieberi) and elven crocus (Crocus tommasinianus).

Crocus blossom in autumn

Autumn crocuses bloom from August to October. The fruit does not form until the following spring. Belongs to them Crocus banaticus, but also saffron, which is popular as a spice (Crocus sativus). Autumn crocuses can easily come with Autumn croissants be confused. Their highly poisonous counterparts have six instead of three stamens.

Husum Island dedicates its own festival to the crocus blossom

The people of Husum give everything to look after the crocuses in their palace gardens. So that the seeds and plants can recover after flowering, the mowing of the lawns will not start again until June. In addition, the pH of the soil is checked every three years and fertilized if necessary. At the Husum Crocus Blossom Festival, residents and tourists celebrate the beauty of the millions of purple crocuses in the city's palace gardens. The flower spectacle can be admired from March to April. Incidentally, the abundance of flowers in Husum is possibly due to a mix-up in the 15th century. Century. The local monks at the time thought it was saffron. You can find the dates for the festival and further information here.

Crocus bulb or crocus bulb?

The crocus is a tuberous plant. The difference lies in the persistence organ of the plants. In the bulbous family, thickened bracts serve as storage organs for the winter. In the case of tubers, thickened stem parts that grow underground represent the wintering organ. The annual plants form one or two daughter tubers in spring. You can get the daughter tubers out of the ground in summer and use them for propagation.

Planting crocus: location, timing and procedure

The plants usually experience three blooming phases before new crocuses have to be planted. This is done either by planting new tubers or, in the case of varieties such as the elven crocus, by brood tubers or sowing them independently. Such varieties are particularly beautiful for reintroduction or for creating lawns.

Plant crocus: the ideal location

The early bloomers prefer to stretch out towards the sun in a beautiful, sunny location. A partially shaded location is also accepted. In spring the soil should be kept moist. Dry soil is preferred during the rest phase in autumn. A permeable, sandy subsoil should be used so that no waterlogging occurs. But it mustn't be too easy either. Otherwise you can let your creativity run free. Crocuses look good in beds, rock gardens or pots. Spring crocuses are also great to plant in lawns. They look particularly beautiful under deciduous hedges, when in spring their little heads protrude from the sun under the barren hedges. Autumn crocuses cannot be planted in the lawn because of their flowering rhythm.

Summary: The ideal location

• Sunny to partially shaded location
• Moist soil in spring and dry soil in autumn
• Well drained, sandy, but not too light soil
• Plant in beds, pots, lawns or rock gardens

Combine crocuses with other early bloomers

If you want to offer the crocus a little company, combine it with early-blooming bulb flowers such as snowdrops (Galanthus), Hyacinths (Hyacinthus), Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) and daffodils (Narcissus). Early flowering perennials such as the felt hornwort (Cerastium tomentosum) or Christmas roses (Helleborus) are good companions.

The ideal time to plant crocuses

The bulbs of the spring crocuses are placed in the ground between September and November so that they can develop roots before the frost. In autumn crocuses, the tuber finds its way into the ground between May and August.

Plant crocus in a pot

With crocuses in a pot, you can bring spring to your front door or into the house. When planting in a pot, simply proceed as follows:

• Pot with mixture of peat free Organic potting soil and fill with sand
• Place the tubers in groups in the soil 5 - 10 cm deep and separated from each other
• Cover the planting hole loosely with soil
• Location: dark place at 4 ° C
• Keep the soil slightly moist at all times
• Put outside after germination or look for another lighter, cool location

Mixing it with sand makes the potting soil nice and loose and permeable. After a month, the crocuses will be ready to beautify your home. You prefer a bright location indoors at 15 ° C. So the flower will spring up after a few days.

Repot the crocus

After the leaves of the crocus have fallen off around June, the tubers are taken out of the earth and dried. In autumn the tubers are put back into fresh substrate.

Maintain crocus

Crocuses don't take much care while giving us so much back. However, there are a few things you should be aware of.

• Cut leaves only after the petals have wilted
• Spring - when leaves sprout: Fertilize with mainly organic Organic flower fertilizer
• Keep the soil only slightly moist, avoid dry balls

Note: During the wilting period, the crocus shifts nutrients from the foliage to the bulb for the next year. When planting in lawns, you should therefore wait until the flowers have wilted before mowing for the first time. Mowing too early weakens the plants.

Saffron: A famous and valuable crocus

The saffron (Crocus sativus) is probably one of the most expensive spices around. But it is also used as a dye and is used in medicine because of its mood-enhancing effect. This crocus with its purple flower and the coveted long stigmas has been cultivated in Greece for over 3000 years. The Greek word krókos (κρόκος) for saffron is even the namesake for the German word crocus. You can find out more about this very special autumn crocus in our special article on the subject saffron.