‘Disraeli’ colchicum

– Posted in: Colchicums
9 comments

I have seen a lot of photographs of colchicums in books and magazines, including my own article on colchicums, where the color seemed unnaturally saturated and intense. I had never grown a colchicum that richly colored, and I suspected that the photographs had been “adjusted” to make them more appealing. Those photos may very well have been tinkered with, but I’m very pleased to tell you that Colchicum ‘Disraeli,’ which I acquired earlier this autumn, is indeed that richly colored.

Disraeli colchicum

‘Disraeli’ colchicum, richly colored and tessellated. New to me this year.

I really don’t think this photo captures the intensity of the color, but it does show the checkering (called tessellation by botanists) quite well. Not all colchicums have tessellation, and the checkering doesn’t show up as well on colchicums with a paler color, so this is a special treat.

I purchased ‘Disraeli’ from Daffodils and More. Typically colchicums are sold and shipped in August, because they start blooming in September. Sometimes you can get them at a reduced price later in the season, with the understanding that they will have already bloomed for the year, but that doesn’t happen often. Best thing to do is put it on your wishlist, and hope that someone offers it next year. And tell them I sent you!

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.

If winter is slumber and spring is birth, and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection. It’s a time of year when the leaves are down and the harvest is in and the perennials are gone. Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it’s time to reflect on what’s come before.

~Mitchell Burgess in Northern Exposure

Comments on this entry are closed.

Louise October 6, 2012, 8:22 pm

My garden is so beautiful with the pink of my Hydrangea Pee Gees, colchicums, roses, anemones and all. I love your blog and find the pictures inspiring me to plant and cultivate more. Thanks.

Kathy Purdy October 6, 2012, 11:07 pm

Thank you for reading and commenting.

Donna@Gardens Eye View September 11, 2012, 8:34 pm

Kathy I really like this one and wil have to order it for next year

Cindy, MCOK September 11, 2012, 10:07 am

So pretty, Kathy! Wish the ones you’d given me had made it but I see no signs of bloom out there. Maybe I’ll get a surprise NEXT year!

Frances September 11, 2012, 7:23 am

It is lovely, Kathy. Glad you found a new one that you like so much.

Flâneur Gardener September 10, 2012, 11:16 pm

I think I actually prefer the paler colchicums; they are so delicate and fairy-like. Still, variety is nice, and the colour patterns on the Disraelis are beautiful.

Kathy Purdy September 11, 2012, 7:50 am

I think I like all that are what they are supposed to be. Too many are improperly identified in the trade. The darker and larger ones are better used where they will be seen from a distance. But to find a new one that is clearly distinguishable from its brethren is enough.