I think we are at the peak of colchicum season. The very earliest ones are finished, the mid-season ones are in their prime, and the last are just getting going!
The white ones seem to bloom later than their pigmented counterparts.
Colchicum giganteum has a different shape, more like a lily, less like a tulip or crocus
Some say Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’ is the fairest of them all.
The one other colchicum that started blooming this week was supposed to be ‘Dick Trotter’ but looks just like ‘Lilac Wonder’ and nothing like the pictures of ‘Dick Trotter’ I have seen on the web. So very disappointing; I have plenty of ‘Lilac Wonder’.
So far we have had several light frosts but not one hard frost or freeze. Colchicums take these light frosts in stride. A hard freeze will beat up any blooming flowers, but new ones will emerge unscathed. I am still crossing my fingers for ‘Waterlily’, which is always the last and often looks like brown mush. Still, by now you can see that if you get a variety of blooming times you can have several weeks of fun going on colchicum patrol.
More Colchicum Patrols
- Colchicum Patrol: Week 1
- Colchicum Patrol: Week 2
- Colchicum Patrol: Week 3
- Colchicum Patrol: Week 5
- Colchicum Patrol: Week 6
About Kathy Purdy
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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I am not sure I have album, but I might have to have it in the white garden.