Autumn crocus

Sun

Full sun to light shade; choose a position that receives direct autumn sunshine.

Water

Moderate moisture during autumn flowering and spring leaf growth; relatively dry conditions during summer dormancy.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, loamy or gritty soil; tolerates a range of soil pH. Avoid heavy soil that stays wet.

Height

0.3-0.5 ft (0.1-0.15 m)

Spread

0.25-0.5 ft (0.08-0.15 m) per clump, gradually increasing through offsets and seedlings

Flowers

Early to mid-autumn; pale to rich violet-blue flowers with darker veins, yellow anthers and finely branched orange stigmas.

Foliage

Narrow green leaves with a pale central stripe appear in spring and die back before summer.

Growth

Moderate; established groups gradually form colonies where conditions suit them.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Cold hardy
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.4 ft (0.13 m)

   full size

About 1 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant dormant corms in late summer, about 3-4 in (7.5-10 cm) deep and the same distance apart.
• Water during prolonged dry spells while flowers or leaves are growing; avoid watering dormant corms routinely in summer.
• On poor soil, apply a light dressing of balanced fertiliser as leaves emerge in spring.
• In grass, delay mowing until the leaves have yellowed and died back.
• Lift and divide crowded clumps during summer dormancy, replanting the corms promptly.

Pruning. No pruning is needed. Remove leaves only once they have yellowed completely, and leave flower stems if you want plants to self-seed.

Late summer

Plant dormant corms promptly in well-drained soil; use local seasons in either hemisphere.

Autumn

Water newly planted groups if the soil is dry, and protect emerging flowers from slugs.

Winter

Check that pots and planting sites drain freely rather than remaining waterlogged.

Spring

Allow the leaves to grow undisturbed; feed lightly if the soil is poor.

Late spring

Wait for foliage to yellow completely before clearing it or mowing surrounding grass.

Summer

Divide congested clumps while dormant and keep their planting area relatively dry.

• Plant loose drifts beneath deciduous trees where autumn sunshine reaches the ground.
• Naturalise in short, well-drained grass that can remain unmown while spring leaves mature.
• Tuck groups into gravel gardens or rock gardens for small-scale autumn colour.
• Place near paths or in shallow, well-drained containers where the flower markings can be seen closely.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Cottage garden, Dry gravel garden, Alpine rock garden, Autumn colour and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Snowdrops, Winter aconites, Hardy cyclamen, Dwarf daffodils and Creeping thyme.

Wildlife: Open flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees active on mild autumn days. Rodents may eat the corms.

• Corm rot in wet soil: improve drainage, grow in raised ground or containers, and discard soft or decaying corms.
• Squirrels and mice digging up or eating corms: protect new plantings with securely fixed wire mesh that allows shoots through.
• Slugs damaging flowers and shoots: remove hiding places and use wildlife-conscious slug control where needed.
• Poor flowering after mowing or cutting leaves too early: let foliage die back naturally so the corms can replenish their reserves.

Do not eat the corms or other parts: ingestion may cause stomach upset, vomiting or diarrhoea in people, cats and dogs. Horse-specific toxicity information is limited, so keep it out of grazing areas. It is not culinary saffron; the unrelated Colchicum, also called autumn crocus, is highly poisonous and potentially fatal if eaten.

• Meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale)

  Its usually pink-lilac flowers have six stamens, whereas Crocus speciosus has three. Its spring leaves are much broader; all parts are highly poisonous.

• Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus)

  Saffron crocus has three long red stigma branches; Crocus speciosus has orange stigmas divided into many fine branches. Never use Crocus speciosus as a saffron substitute.

• Bieberstein's autumn crocus (Crocus pulchellus)

  This similar autumn-flowering species generally has paler flowers and white anthers, rather than the yellow anthers of Crocus speciosus.

The Latin species name speciosus means showy or beautiful, referring to the flowers.

Propagation. Separate offsets during summer dormancy and replant promptly. Alternatively, sow ripe seed in a freely draining compost and leave outdoors; seedlings usually take several years to flower.

Accepted botanical name

Crocus speciosus

Native range

North Caucasus, Transcaucasus and Turkey.

Measured

Soil pH 4.5 to 5.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.