#crocus pickwick

[lavenderteaqueen]

Crocus Pickwick

[regnum-plantae]

Crocus spp., Iridaceae

C. flavus, C. vernus, C. vernus albiflorus, C. vernus ‘pickwick’

With some species and varieties of Crocus, I continue with the early-flowering geophytes I observed in this period. These are not from a botanic garden, but still make sure to attract attention at my local park, where they have followed the snowdrop I wrote about a few days ago, and blossomed into a colourful carpet among last autumn’s leaf litter.  

Although some species of Crocus are known to self-sow and expand rapidly around the area where the corms are initially placed, this is not always the case and depends often on the soil composition. The ones above have not gained any ground over the past three flowering seasons and that’s probably due to the heavy, clay-rich soil common here in Scotland. Being native to the mountainous regions of Southern Europe, they generally prefer a well-draining, coarse medium mixed with organic matter, so would do particularly well on rocky slopes and rock gardens. 

Note: I haven’t checked each flower singularly, there were hundreds, so some may as well be hybrids, or C. tommasianus, as most flowers were not fully open yet and I couldn’t see the inner parts. I will go back though.