Middle Eastern Marvels - Garden Plants – Crocus

Name – The name Crocus emerges from its origins in the Greek word krokos = saffron, which in turn. derives from the Semitic word karkom meaning yellow.

Description – these flowers which appear in either spring or autumn, are simple tubular petalled forms, which in the case of the saffron-bearing crocus, have golden stamens which are dried to form the rare and expensive spice, saffron, used to flavour meat and dye rice a golden-yellow colour. The flowers seem to emerge straight from the soil and have a range of colours from pure white through mauve and pink into deepest purple, striated forms are also common. Autumn crocus tend to open their petals rather than remaining tulip shaped and have a warmer colour range with more pink and magenta shades.

Origin – Bulbs should be planted at about three to four inches down and the same distance apart, add grit when planting in poorly draining soil and many people chose to make their holes an inch deeper and set the bulb onto an inch of coarse sand to ensure the roots don’t rot. Spring-flowering bulbs should be planted in autumn and autumn-flowering bulbs, obviously, should be planted in spring! After three years, dig up your spring-flowering clumps in the autumn and divide and replant the bulbs. Crocuses are disease resistant and usually a trouble free addition to the early spring garden – however, they do have pests, notable squirrels, rabbits and rodents, all of whom will dig the bulbs up. There are a variety of techniques used to prevent this; the simplest is to plant more deeply, or you can place chicken wire over the planting area and some growers dunk the bulbs in paraffin prior to planting as the smell is said to deter predators.

For Decoration – Many gardeners force bulbs in September and October for Christmas. A 6-inch pot can hold as many as 15 crocus bulbs. Cover bulbs with one inch of potting soil and place in a dark location with a consistent temperature of 4 – 10 degrees celsius (fridge type temperature) so their roots can develop. The bulbs will be ready to bloom at about 8 to 12 weeks. Remove the bulbs from their cool location and slowly acclimate them to the warmer temperatures of your home. Put the potted bulbs in an area in your house that gets indirect sunlight and has temperatures of about 15 degrees celsius. Leave the bulbs there for a week or two. The new shoots need a temperature of about 20 degrees celsius to produce the best blooms.

Middle east crocus photograph by audreyjm529, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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