About
This corm blooms in autumn, yielding sizable goblet-shaped flowers that feature a pale purple hue and a red 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, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bulbs
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- Up to 10 cm
- Spread
- 0-0.1 metre
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Gravel garden, Patio and container plants, Mediterranean climate plants, Wildlife gardens
- Native to
- E. Mediterranean
- 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
- Requires a sunny, free-draining site in the border. Plant 10cm (4in) deep. Pick stigmas for drying as a flavouring and food colourant (saffron). See crocus cultivation for more advice
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by division of clumps or by propagate by seed
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to rodents and birds
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free, corms may rot in storage