About
Colchicum bivonae is a perennial plant that grows from corms, reaching a height of up to 15 cm. Its leaves, which are narrow and ovate, emerge in a semi-erect position during the winter and spring months. In the autumn, it produces bowl-shaped flowers that are pinkish-purple with lighter centers and may emit a mild fragrance. The tepals can have either pointed or rounded tips and feature a prominent checkered pattern.
About the genus
Colchicum are perennial plants that grow from corms, featuring typically coarse, broad, strap-like leaves. These leaves may emerge alongside or following the goblet-shaped blooms.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, East-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bulbs
- Habit
- Columnar upright
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden, Rock garden, Wildlife gardens
- Native to
- S Europe
- Fragrance
- Flower
- Toxicity
- TOXIC if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling TOXIC to pets - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Using gloves to handle corms, plant 10cm deep in summer or early autumn in deep, fertile and well-drained but reasonably moist soil in an open site in full sun; for more advice, see bulb cultivation
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, sown in containers in an open frame as soon as it is ripe, or by removing cormlets when dormant in summer; for more advice, see bulb propagation
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to grey moulds (Botrytis), smuts, and tulip grey bulb rot