The crocus is one of the easiest perennial bulbs to grow and also one of the earliest perennial bulbs to bloom each year. Once established in an area, it will also easily propagate itself to cover wide spaces (for an example, see the photo at the left of crocuses growing wild in the Swiss alps). C. nudiflorus is a variety that is easy to naturalize on large lawn spaces.Crocuses are grown from corms, a type of perennial bulb. They are hardy for zones three through nine, and flowers come in a range of colors (yellow, purple, white and lavender are most common). Hybrid varieties are a bit less hardy, and are best for forcing indoors. They are small perennial bulbs, generally under six inches in height. They look wonderful in lawn spaces, growing in containers, and on the borders of perennial beds.
Crocus Sativa is the source of the valuable spice saffron. If you are growing this variety, you will notice some small red thread like flower part (the stigma) at the center of each bloom. If you are interested in saving your own saffron: you should remove and dry the red stigma found in the center of the flower bloom after the bloom as died, and then store these dried stigmas in an airtight container to use later in cooking. Do make sure, however, that you are growing the correct variety of crocus before attempting this, as some varieties are poisonous.
If you are starting a new patch of crocus perennial bulbs, here are some tips to help them get off to a good start:
- Plant them in a sunny area, preferably in full sun
- Try to plant many in the same area, preferably twenty to thirty bulbs in each spot that you are growing them in
- Space each perennial crocus bulb three to four inches apart from each other
- Plant each perennial crocus bulb two to three inches deep.
For even more tips and suggestions on perennial bulbs, please return to the Perennial Bulbs Home Page.
Photo by Martin Zahnd
