Colchicum Species, False Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron, Naked Ladies, Showy Colchicum

The chalice-shaped lavender-pink flowers bloom without foliage in August/September, when many gardens begin looking tired. The flowers of...Read Moreten fall over after a day or so---they are often grown through a low groundcover for support. I always look forward to their appearance, and I'm always disappointed that they last so briefly.

Each corm produces a cluster of flowers, sending them up in succession over about two weeks. Because the corms multiply rapidly by offsets, I'm inclined to plant them 12-18" apart. They aren't cheap, but even a single corm will soon produce a substantial display if you dig and move its offsets every few years when the foliage goes dormant. Corms should be ordered for late summer delivery and planted immediately, or they will bloom in storage.

The glossy spring leaves are big and beautiful, though their demise is conspicuous and protracted. Broad, straplike, to 1' long, they rise in earliest spring and go dormant in June. As the corms multiply, the clump of foliage tends to smother its spring neighbors.

Colchicums perform well in full sun to part shade. They do well in the shade of deciduous trees. I think of colchicums as among the more shade-tolerant of bulbs---similar in their requirements to daffodils, and just as easy.

Good drainage is essential. Consistent moisture is needed only when the leaves are active in spring. Too much water leads to corm rot, especially during summer dormancy. Colchicums perform well under large deciduous shrubs and trees, whose roots absorb any excess moisture in summer. All colchicums are intolerant of standing water.

All parts contain toxic concentrations of colchicine, and are not generally bothered by herbivores. Leaves, corms, and flowers are vulnerable to snails and slugs.

Soil pH can be acid, neutral, or alkaline, as long as it's well drained. This plant tolerates poor soil, but quickly shows its appreciation for added organic matter. Armitage says it's hardy in Z4-7 in eastern North America.

Propagation by separating offsets is easiest, but this species can also be grown from seed---though it's notoriously slow and difficult. Seeds can take up to 2 years to germinate, and another 4-5 years for plants to reach flowering size. You can find some tips for germinating and growing colchicum here: http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Colchicu...

This species is commonly called autumn crocus or meadow saffron. Both names are correct but misleading, as it is not a crocus, nor does it produce saffron. There are true crocuses that bloom in the fall, and among them is the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus.

"Naked ladies" usually refers to Amaryllis belladonna. "Showy colchicum" refers to Colchicum speciosum.

I dug up some of these bulbs from a friends yard after they had finished blooming in September (California). I planted them in my yard an...Read Mored they bloomed the first year after planting. They have not bloomed since!! I have some bulbs in the ground and others in a large pot with other plants...none of the them have bloomed in years. The leaves are lush & green then when they die off the blooms should appear. I do nothing for them so I wonder what I need to do to get them to bloom. I see them in the wild in Fallbrook, Ca. where no one has attended to them..so what gives with them not blooming for me? If anyone can offer up a solution, it would be appreciated.

A great filler plant in the spring ... nothing like glossy green leaves to make you want to get out and get ready for the coming show of ...Read Morespring flowers. Then after the dry summer, when not much else around here is in bloom, they start poking out of the ground. They are a welcome site this time of year when all the potted plants are being stored away for protection.

The pure wild species is a bit shapeless, with its paddled shaped petals which open wide leaving gaps between them, but the two white var...Read Moreieties (probably hybrids) are much better. Look good en masse.

This plant occurs wild in Britain, the only colchicum to do so.

I would hesitate to ingest any part of any colchicum, they contain the poisonous alkaloid colchicine, which does have some medical uses - not for the amateur herbalist though. I have had some reaction in my hands by just handling the corms at replanting time, so wear gloves now when I am doing this. Although I do handle several hundred most autumns and am probably more exposed than most!