Autumnal Crocus

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Colchicum autumn (lat. Colchicum autumnale) - a common representative of the genus Colchicum of the Colicar family. Another name is autumn colchicum. Belongs to the category of poisonous plants, assumes work only with gloves. But despite this fact, it is actively used in floriculture, since it has high decorative properties. In nature, it grows mainly in meadows and fields of European countries, it is also found in the European part of Russia.

Characteristics of culture

The autumn crocus is represented by perennial herbaceous plants, equipped with an oblong unequal bulb, reaching a length of 7 cm. The bulb, in turn, is brown or brown in color, which is formed due to sheaths of dead foliage. Subsequently, the vaginas break through, and new foliage appears through the ground.

A flower (in frequent cases, only one is formed, less often three) is formed in the axillary part of the upper leaf. It is equipped with a simple apical perianth, the bend of which is funnel-shaped. Perianth lobes are ellipsoidal, obtuse at the tips, can be pink or purple in color. Flowering culture is observed in the third decade of August - the first decade of September. By the time of flowering, all foliage dies off.

The fruits of autumn crocus are represented by oblong oblong egg-shaped capsules. They contain a large number of small seeds, reaching a diameter of 2-2.5 mm. A distinctive feature of the seeds is the presence of a white seedling. The seeds ripen, which is surprising, at the beginning of summer, at this moment the foliage dies off and a new daughter bulb is formed, there may be two of them.

The subtleties of growing

The autumn crocus needs systematic watering. This factor affects the activity of growth and flowering. It tolerates a short-term drought, but this negatively affects the health of plants, they slow down somewhat in growth. Weeding takes an equally important part in the development of culture, because weeds are able to take away most of the nutrients from plants.

Do not forget about top dressing. The autumn crocus prefers well-fertilized soils, filled with both organic matter and mineral fertilizers. With the onset of spring, plants should be fed with nitrogen fertilizers and rotted compost. Such an act will give the plants strength and help to form larger and stronger leaves, they will allow the new bulb to be nourished to its fullest. In the future, the culture should be fed with complex fertilizers.

With the onset of autumn, you do not need to dig out the bulbs, they tolerate the winter perfectly. Although, when expecting severe frosts, the plantings should be covered with natural material like dry fallen leaves. There are no other requirements for leaving. The only thing, when digging tubers, it is necessary to work with them only with gloves, because they are poisonous and can damage the delicate skin of the hands.

And finally, about the location. In principle, the autumn crocus is not too whimsical to its location, it can develop normally and bloom in sunny and semi-shaded areas near trees and shrubs with an openwork crown. But the plants are negative about the thick shade, they rarely bloom on them, and they develop in a slow pace, often die.

Common forms

The autumn crocus has a lot of forms, and all of them are designed to decorate the garden. For example, autumn crocus white characterized by large snow-colored flowers, and they also have a yellowish center. The flowering form is observed in the second decade of September. The form is famous for its high decorative properties -

autumn crocus terry … It is distinguished by large, multi-petal flowers of lilac color. Terry flowering later, as a rule, occurs in October, again this aspect largely depends on climatic conditions.