Sunday, March 21, 2010

Crocus Lawn Envy

There is a house in NW Washington DC (Takoma neighborhood, 6th and Cedar just off Piney Branch Rd.) that I pass by frequently and never notice. Until that is, March rolls around, and their entire yard explodes into a crocus lawn. Oh, how I want it! I got rid of all my turf grass lawns, but for 2-3 weeks each year, this lawn is like a faerie kingdom and I almost regret that move.

To get one of your own, start with a turf grass lawn. Mark your calendars for this October/November. Buy at least one hundred crocus bulbs (actually pretty cheap project - you can get a bag of 100 for $30). Plant them randomly. A good technique is to throw them out, scattering by hand, and plant them where they land, unless of course your yard is like mine, and they'd all roll into one sunken spot together. Sit back all winter. Enjoy the following March. Now here is the real key: do NOT mow in the spring until all the crocus blossoms and foliage have died back on their own. If you mow too early and cut off the foliage, you are cutting off their food and they won't come back well for you in future years and what you want is for them to not only come back but also to multiply.

(Click on photos to see in larger detail.)

7 comments:

  1. That is just lovely. I planted plenty in my lawn in the fall of 2008 with a decent showing in the spring of 2009. now, nothing in 2010. I'm bummed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice effect, a wonderful harbinger for Spring!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is beautiful! I like how the Crocuses are growing through the stones!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Helen, too bad it petered out, maybe rampant squirrels or chipmunks? For others who may have, squrriel/chipmunk problems try Crocus Tomassini aka Tommies.
    Crystal and Kenneth, thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is beautiful!

    I would imagine you'll need far more than 100, you'll be surprised how many you would need to cover such an area... I planted 200 in Autumn and I still need more.

    It's beautiful how they're even growing through the path... Wonderful idea.

    ReplyDelete
  6. If the Turf Sunshine Coast grasses can cope up with the stress, it will be healthy and dense and will be able to resist disease. Sometime the disease may spread and it becomes out of any control. However, the disease resistant cultivars can be implemented to avoid future problems.

    ReplyDelete
  7. yOU are provided very good services forTurf Sunshine Coastbut we have different
    different types of services if you want to have the knowleged about the turf sunshine coast.

    ReplyDelete

Featured Post

Gifts for Gardeners ~ Gardening Gifts ~ Cool Gardening Gift Ideas

Today is Amazon Prime Day, so I thought I'd again share the garden products I use almost every day. These are the tried-and-true w...