About
Crocus malyi 'Ballerina' is a perennial that grows from corms, featuring slender, dark green foliage that appears alongside its blooms in early spring. The flowers are characterized by elongated white petals, frequently adorned with a subtle purple line at the tips, and display vibrant orange-yellow stamens and stigma.
About the genus
Crocus are small, deciduous perennials that emerge from corms. They feature narrow leaves, often marked with a silvery stripe down the center. The flowers, which can be fragrant, are goblet-shaped and appear in either autumn or early spring.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bulbs
- Habit
- Tufted
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- Up to 10 cm
- Spread
- 0-0.1 metre
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden, Patio and container plants, Coastal, Rock garden, Wildlife gardens
- Toxicity
- Ornamental bulbs - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Ornamental bulbs - not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Best grown in a bulb frame or alpine house in a mix of equal parts loam, leaf mould and sharp sand or grit. Water freely in the growing season and apply a low-nitrogen fertiliser monthly. Keep completely dry in summer dormancy. See crocus cultivation for more advice
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame when ripe or remove cormlets when dormant
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to rodents and birds
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free, corms may rot in storage