From the category archives:

Colchicums

Missing, but not forgotten

October 29, 2004

I am determined to wrap up the colchicum season in a timely manner and get my colchicum books out of the dining room, where they’ve been banging around near the computer for easy reference. There is only one colchicum still blooming, and that is ‘Waterlily.’ She is always the last, and often looks the worse [...]

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Another white one

October 28, 2004

This is the white form of Colchicum speciosum which, just as with the white form of byzantinum, is called ‘Album.’ Like the typical speciosum, the flower is taller and larger than the typical byzantinum, and not nearly as generous with its blossoms, at least this year. They’re elegant and demure, above the kind of flopsy [...]

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Colchicum byzantinum ‘Album’

October 28, 2004

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, [...]

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Colchicum ‘Poseidon’

October 22, 2004

Russell Stafford of Odyssey Bulbs describes this as “a superior selection whose rich violet flowers are among the deepest in hue of any colchicum’s. . . . It is of robust constitution.” Well, it does seem robust, but not any deeper in color than say, ‘Zephyr.’ It seems like color is such a moving [...]

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Colchicum giganteum

October 19, 2004

Here is another one where I am not sure I have a correctly identified plant, mostly, I suppose, because it is surely not the biggest colchicum on the block. On the other hand, I think Bowles’ description fits: “In C. giganteum the segments open out more widely and remain expanded at an angle of forty-five [...]

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Colchicum speciosum

October 17, 2004

I bought this from Odyssey Bulbs because I wanted to see how it compared with the C. speciosum I had gotten from another source several years earlier. Wouldn’t you know it, I forgot to take a whiff of the newcomer. But it looks pretty much like the other speciosum. I guess having a lilac tube [...]

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‘Nancy_Lindsay’ in profile

October 16, 2004

Here you can see that Nancy does indeed have the much-desired purple tube. As with almost all of the photos on this blog, if you click on the image it will take you to an enlarged version of that image.

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Colchicum autumnale ‘Nancy Lindsay’

October 16, 2004

I planted ‘Nancy Lindsay’ last year but couldn’t get a photo then. I have yet to see what the autumnale type looks like, but this flower is much bigger and shaped differently than the C. autumnale ‘Album’ that bloomed for me earlier this fall. I can see why it was originally considered its own species: [...]

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Present and Accounted For

September 14, 2004

Colchicum ‘Autumn Herald’ finally made an appearance, kind of late to be a herald, but a relief to me. Only one blossom so far–perhaps it’s not thriving? Or perhaps I’m too impatient. After all, this first blossom has scarcely colored up yet. The first of the transplanted ‘Lilac Wonder’s is blooming, and doesn’t look floppy [...]

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Colchicum autumnale ‘Alboplenum’

September 14, 2004

I got this in 1997 for about twice what Russell Stafford is selling it for this year. I hope that means stocks worldwide are increasing, because everyone should have some of these beauties around. Two words in the Odyssey Bulb catalog description don’t apply to mine: “pink-tinged” and “October.” I have never seen even [...]

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‘Zephyr’

September 14, 2004

I actually purchased this from Odyssey Bulbs in 2002. It bloomed nicely that fall, and if I remember correctly, the leaves came up in spring. But after that, it was no more. Since I planted that first one, I’ve come to realize two things. The first is that the ell of the house, where I [...]

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Colchicum speciosum ‘Ordu’

September 10, 2004

Sigh. Whenever I see this flower, I immediately think of a ballerina, slender and graceful, with a touch of pink. According to Russell Stafford, ‘Ordu’ is “the hardiest C.speciosum cultivar, named after the Turkish district whence it came.” And yet, I can’t help thinking of the enchantress Orddu from the Prydain Chronicles created by Lloyd [...]

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‘Violet Queen’

September 10, 2004

Colchicum ‘Violet Queen’ is also blooming now. It started a day or two after ‘Autumn Queen.’ Last year, ‘Violet Queen’ and ‘Autumn Herald’ bloomed at the same time. This year, VQ is blooming its head off, and AH has yet to make an appearance. I sure hope it’s not a goner. This year, I cut [...]

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