This is the final–and some say best–colchicum of the season.
ast but not least, ‘Waterlily’ closes the colchicum season. As I said before, I often don’t get to see this blooming at its best. We often have hard freezes by the time ‘Waterlily’ blooms, reducing it to a sodden brown mush. Yet Bob Brown, in a
Gardens Illustrated article, says “if I had to choose one this would be it.” Of course, he lives in Great Britain. If your autumns tend to the British kind–meaning milder than mine–you should definitely grow this one.
This has been one of the best colchicum seasons ever, due to several factors. First, we had plentiful rain in spring. A mild summer caused the foliage to stay green longer and thus provide more energy for flower formation, then we had a hot (or at least, hotter) dry period during their dormancy, which they need. Mild temperatures and little rain for the bulk of the flowering season kept the flowers looking their best. (I noticed many blossoms had flopped over once it did rain.) Besides ‘Waterlily’, ‘Spartacus’ and C. autumnale ‘Alboplenum’ are still going strong. ‘Lilac Wonder’ and some of my impostors have a few blooms left.
Thanks for joining me on my colchicum patrol the last six weeks. It’s helped me prepare for my upcoming talk (see below). I’m a little sad to see it end, but fortunately the fall crocus (Crocus speciosus) have started blooming to console me.
Colchicum Talk This Saturday
If you want to hear and see yet more about colchicums, I’ll be speaking to the Adirondack Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society on Saturday, October 19, 2013. Their meeting starts at 1pm, and they meet in Room 404 of the Plant Sciences Building on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, NY.
Tagged as:
colchicum,
Colchicum patrol,
Colchicums
About the Author
Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.
Now, the digging and dividing of perennials, the general autumn cleanup and the planting of spring bulbs are all an act of faith. One carries on before the altar of delayed gratification, until the ground freezes and you can’t do any more other than refill the bird feeder and gaze through the window, waiting for the snow. . . . Meanwhile, it helps to think of yourself as a pear tree or a tulip. You will blossom spectacularly in the spring, but only after the required period of chilling.
~Adrian Higgins
in
The Washington Post, November 6, 2013
My Waterlily is going strong and looks great.
This has been a delightful tour. You’ve brought a “new” plant to my aattention.