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Saturday, 28 February 2015

Crocuses in the spotlight

Over the last couple of years, when my pot-planted Crocuses have finished flowering I have put them in the ground at the bases of my mature trees, where they have become naturalised. Now each year I get an effortless display of small but plentiful Crocus flowers.




It's always the blue ones that come up first. Almost all the ones flowering at present are blue or purple. I've lost track of their names, but I can see that there are three distinctly different types.






Crocuses are really useful bulbs. They are small enough to be able to fit into all those little patches of spare space, and they provide a welcome splash of colour very early in the year, when there is not much colour about.






They are not all blue though...


This orange one is "Orange Monarch", which I bought last Autumn.


I have 10 bulbs growing in a pot.


They are very strikingly coloured, but also rather disappointingly small. With a name like "Orange Monarch" I had expected them to be "regal"!
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16 comments:

  1. Daphne Gould28 February 2015 at 12:03

    You are taunting me with those spring flowers in the sunshine. It all looks so warm and inviting there.

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    Replies
    1. Mark Willis28 February 2015 at 12:12

      That was yesterday! Today it is back to cold grey drizzle. At least we don't have 4 feet of snow though.

      Delete
  2. Sue Garrett28 February 2015 at 12:29

    I want to plant more crocuses

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  3. Captain Shagrat28 February 2015 at 12:39

    Me too Sue, wow beautiful mark

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  4. Jo28 February 2015 at 12:45

    I like the colour of Orange Monarch. I'm growing white ones this year, I thought they were cream when I picked up the packet but white will be nice for a change. I think they'll flower within the next couple of days.

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  5. Unknown28 February 2015 at 13:16

    I was under the impression that crocuses were purple only! The Orange Monarchs are beautiful. As for the ones on the ground, they look spectacular blooming in clumps like that!

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  6. Marcia28 February 2015 at 14:00

    Thank you for the breath of spring. No chance of my crocuses blooming anytime soon buried as they are under snow.

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  7. The Quirky Bird Gardener28 February 2015 at 16:51

    Beautiful colours, Crocus are great wee bursts of colour, I have a few varieties in my alpine troughs, adding some colour before everything else does their thing there :)

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  8. Margaret28 February 2015 at 23:38

    They do look lovely. I planted many crocuses in a small bed at my first house, right next to the front door, & really enjoyed them. I should look at adding a few more bulbs to empty spots in my garden....I often get so caught up with the veg side of things that I completely forget about the ornamentals.

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  9. Steve1 March 2015 at 09:15

    My crocuses have started to flower. A welcome splash of colour :)

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  10. David1 March 2015 at 13:39

    I'm with Daphne on this.... I can almost feel the warmth of the sun... wait, no I can't.

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  11. Unknown1 March 2015 at 18:34

    Those orange monarchs are glorious! Wow! I love croci :)

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  12. Unknown12 March 2015 at 19:49

    Great gsrden tips, photos, friends and results! I need to quit knitting and start cultivating. Thanks for your impetus, Annette

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  13. Unknown12 March 2015 at 20:00

    We have six raised beds that I have neglected two years. What soil amendments should I put to jump-start it for summer vegetables? I am new at blogging and was so glad to bump into you blog. Annette, Georgia, USA

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    Replies
    1. Mark Willis12 March 2015 at 20:25

      If it were me, I would add some pelleted chicken manure and some (preferably home-grown) compost.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous19 March 2015 at 22:16

    I love crocuses! Small but so welcome, and they pack a punch when their numbers swell in time.

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