Monday 25 February 2013

Crocus

The opening of Crocus flowers is practically synonymous with the advent of Spring. That little splash of colour is so welcome after weeks and weeks of dreary grey Winter!


This purple Crocus is one of a clump that has established itself at the bottom of my garden, at the base of one of my compost bins. I didn't plant them there - they just moved in of their own accord. Maybe a corm fell out of my hand as I took a handful of garden debris to the bin?


This next photo demonstrates how eager the Crocuses are for a bit of warmth - leaning over in unison, pointing their heads at the sun.


Just beginning to open, ready to soak up the rays.


This is a different type. It has very pale spindly flower-stalks. I don't know its name, because it's another volunteer, but after reading a blogpost the other day on Hillwards, I now think they are Crocus Tommasinianus, sometimes called simply "Early Crocus".


This next photo is very much my sort of thing. I love the strong contrast between light and shade, as well as the contrast between the disciplined straight line of the wooden edging and the chaotic disarray of the Crocuses. They almost look as if they are dancing under spotlights! (Yes, I have exaggerated the contrast!)


I hope soon to be able to show off some Crocuses that I have actually deliberately planted. Mine are mostly in pots so that they can be moved round the garden to wherever I want them. After a year in pots like that they will get transplanted into a border somewhere, or at the base of one of the trees, so that they can become "naturalised".

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P.S. Nothing to do with Crocuses, but I just wanted to put in a good word for another blog that I think deserves some support:-

I hope that Taylor Nelsen will forgive me for quoting some words from his blog Flour, Water, Dirt and Rain

"Flour Water Dirt and Rain is a food and garden project/blog based in Ballinspittle, West Cork, Ireland. this blog works with new ideas in gardening, cooking and DIY. the project emphasises on working from scratch and getting to the basics of how we live and what we eat, by creating delicious, healthy and exciting food from the dirt up."

Have a look at it, folks. Some nice stuff there...

16 comments:

  1. All my crocus are in containers, but I haven't got any blooming yet. The clump by the compost bin looks very happy.

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  2. I haven't had much luck with crocuses. They've tended to come up very, very small. So small they look silly. So I gave up. But, today, I came across crocus leaves - thin but quite tall. No sign of flowers - but, maybe, they are gathering themselves to resurge and make a go of it after all.

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    1. Esther, are they in full sun? Crocuses really do enjoy having as much light as possible. Maybe you just have to give in and enjoy the foliage??

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  3. WE have had the odd crocus almost open but none in full bloom yet

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  4. Some of my crocuses opened up this weekend too :) !! Very exciting. I like the sound of Flour, Water, Dirt and Rain, getting back to the basics of how we live and eat sounds right up my street.

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  5. Lovely crocus!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  6. I am a new convert to crocus. I got a couple of bulbs last year - I think after seeing some of yours!

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  7. There's a market research company in London called Taylor Nelson - I don't think they do much with either dirt or flour though.

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  8. What a delight to see crocus sitting in the sunshine. You must be thrilled to see them looking so happy...springs on the way! ;D
    Enjoy!

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  9. A welcome splash of color! And I agree, Taylor's blog is worth following!

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  10. I love the wanton-ness of C. tommasinianus. More and more keep popping up their heads in the crown of a plant my Mum gave me from her garden - turns out there were quite a few stowaways just showing themselves this year, delightful.

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  11. thanks for the shout out, mark! its great to get good feedback from like minded people, and its great motivation to keep posting. hope you have a great year in the garden!

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  12. You must have your own particular micro-climate Mark I don't have a sign of any croci or is it crocuses yet.

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  13. Thanks for the link to Taylor Nelson's blog. Will most definitely follow. Very yummy recipes.

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