Colchicum is a perennial bulb that blooms in the fall. They are often referred to as “Autumn Crocus,” although they are actually members of the Lily family. You can tell the difference by counting the number of stamens: Crocus has three, while Colchicum has six.
The flowers come in shades of purple, pink, and white. Note that all parts of the Colchicum plant are toxic so deer and other critters leave it alone.
This bulb is native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. They are hardy to zones 4-8. This bulb prefers to be planted in rich, well-drained soil in part shade to full sun.
The leaves appear in the spring and look similar to a small hosta. The foliage then dies back in summer and in the fall, the blooms emerge without any surrounding foliage.
When ordering Colchicum bulbs, they can arrive with the flower already emerging. If that happens, just plant them with the flower stem above the soil level. It doesn’t need fertilizing, but you can add compost and leaf mulch around it as a soil amendment.
Colchicum: You Can Grow That!
The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.
Audio and text by Kathy Jentz
Video and editing by Brandie Bland
Bulbs provided by Brent & Becky’s Bulbs (https://brentandbeckysbulbs.com/)
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