Colchicums

The Newest Colchicums On The Block

– Posted in: Colchicums

After ordering every colchicum offered in this country that I didn't already have for several years running, I thought this was the year I wasn't going to order any. No one was selling colchicums that I didn't already have. But then I was able to obtain some from an unexpected source. Come see the new colchicums that bloomed in my garden this fall.

Earliest Colchicums

– Posted in: Colchicums

Colchicum season has started! In this post I highlight the earliest blooming colchicums in my garden, sharing what I like best about each of them. And guess what? I'm opening my garden to the public, and you're invited! Yes, it's true! Read more to learn all about it.

Kerry’s Webinar and My Talk

– Posted in: Colchicums, Events

Just a quick reminder to sign up for Kerry Mendez' webinar: Inspired Design Lessons Learned from Magnificent Gardens in England, Canada and the United States. She's presenting it on January 26 at 2pm Eastern time, but you don't have to be present at that time. If you are registered, you can download the video later [...]

Mid-season Colchicums

– Posted in: Colchicums

Colchicum season is long over, and I can't even remember all the reasons why I didn't write this post in a timely manner. I do remember finally getting all the photos processed, and promising myself I would upload them after dinner. And before I could do so, the DSL line was ripped off our house [...]

Early Blooming Colchicums

– Posted in: Colchicums

For those of you just joining in, I am something of a colchicum aficionado. I collect colchicums the way some people collect fiestaware or baseball cards. I want to have one of each, and I want to make sure each one is authentic. Colchicums are plants that grow from corms. Most of the ones that [...]

How Does A Colchicum Know When To Bloom?

– Posted in: Colchicums

I've grown colchicums for more than two dozen years. I've tried more than two dozen kinds, and I still grow most of them. I've read everything about colchicums I could get my hands on. But there's still one thing about them I don't know and would like to: what combination of factors induces them to [...]

The Last of the Colchicums

– Posted in: Colchicums, What's up/blooming

As those of you who follow me or the Cold Climate Gardening page on Facebook know, I gave a talk on colchicums yeseterday for the Adirondack Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society, which meets in Ithaca--not the Adirondacks. The day before my talk, I decided to pick any fresh-looking colchicums and take them [...]

Colchicum Patrol: Week 6

– Posted in: Colchicums, What's up/blooming

Last 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 [...]

Colchicum Patrol: Week 5

– Posted in: Colchicums, What's up/blooming

Colchicum season is winding down. I only found two new varieties blooming when I went out on patrol. But plenty of the ones I've already profiled continue to send up flowers.'Spartacus' is new this year for me. Right now it has the same pastel color as C. byzantinum, but since I've never grown it before, [...]