Some of you may recall that my first acquistion of Colchicum byzantinum ‘Album’ was an impostor. This beauty is undoubtedly the real thing. Not only is it white, but it has the same structure of petals and general floriferous character of the species. I just received and planted this earlier this autumn from Odyssey Bulbs, and it bloomed like a well-established clump. I had thought the first photo was as good as it was going to get, but I was pleasantly surprised. Whoever edited the Colchicum species page of the Pacific Bulb Society wiki claims that the proper name for this flower is not ‘Album’ but ‘Innocence,’ so you may find it in a catalog listed that way. And I do hope you find it, and grow it.
About Kathy Purdy
Kathy Purdy discovered the joys of writing in fourth grade, when she started corresponding with a former classmate. She's been writing letters ever since, first on looseleaf, then electronically, and now as weblog entries. That makes you, the blog reader, her pen pal. Her first independent (though frustrating) attempts at gardening were made in high school, though the gardening bug didn't bite hard until her mid-thirties, when she found herself mistress of a rural home on 15 acres. • USDA Hardiness Zone:4 • AHS Heat Zone: 3 • Location: rural; Southern Tier of NY • Geographic type: foothills of Appalachian Mountains • Soil Type: acid clay • Experience level: intermediate • Particular interests: colchicums, narcissus, cottage gardening, NY native plants, gardening with/for children
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I don’t think you’ll regret it. The byzantinums are probably the least fussy; the speciosums seem equally vigorous. They have larger flowers but not as many of them. You just have to plan for the leaves coming up in the spring.
Twitter: @truegrit
Those are so beautiful! I have never grown colchiums… I only tried the autumn sorts of crocus. I am tempted to order some next year- and use your info as my planting guide!