Nancy Lindsay

By Kathy Purdy October 18, 2003 – Posted in: Colchicums

Colchicum autumnale ‘Nancy Lindsay’ bloomed quite a while ago. She only threw forth two exquisite blossoms, and I somehow didn’t get out there with a camera in time. It would have been worth it, for Russell Stafford rightly describes her as having “abundant, bright-pink, purple-stemmed blooms . . . in September and October. Vigorous.” Yes, she has the elusive purple perianth tube that I have long sought in C. speciosum without success thus far. Bloom time was mid-September, after ‘Autumn Herald’ and the two ‘Queens,’ but before C. byzantinum, if I remember correctly. But bloom times seemed to be off this year, so don’t hold me to it. She certainly didn’t bloom into October, but if she turns out to be as abundant and vigorous as described, I have hope for the future. Get this one if you can, and plant it where you will be sure not to miss it.
She must be of fairly recent origin, as Bowles makes no mention of her, not even under the spurious (according to Bryan) name of C. pannonicum.

Tagged as: autumn, colchicum, Colchicums

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She would be delighted to speak to your group about colchicums or other gardening topics. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002.

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The Triplets: Impostor Colchicums

In the end, this may be the most important thing about frost: Frost slows us down. In spring, it tempers our eagerness. In fall, it brings closure and rest. In our gotta-go world–where every nanosecond seems to count–slowness can be a great gift. So rather than see Jack Frost as an adversary, you could choose to greet him as a friend.

~Philip Harnden in A Gardener’s Guide to Frost: Outwit the Weather and Extend the Spring and Fall Seasons

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