Autumn bulbs

[McDonough]

Nice display Todd, C. nudiflorus is one that I must try sometime... most attractive.

Here are a a couple autumn crocus that appeared and bloomed over the past 2 gorgeous autumn days:

1     C. sativus - lots more buds coming, this is the earliest it has ever flowered.  The scent is wonderful (at close range).
2-3  C. asumaniae - bunching up nicely, sweetly scented.  Second photo with pollen-laden bee.

[IMYoung]

Super crocus, Mark.  The Saffron crocus is C. sativus, though.

[Hoy]

Lucky man, Mark! My croci were completely flattened by heavy rain. Even if we have gotten nice weather now they are impossible to revive.

[McDonough]

Super crocus, Mark.  The Saffron crocus is C. sativus, though.

Maggi, I must have been in a garlicky state and thinking about Allium sativum

[McDonough]

Crocus sativus was looking mighty fine today; a photo while shaded from a bush and a photo backlit from the sun.  I was working on extending a flower bed today, about 15-20' from the Crocus planting, and I could smell this crocus' sweet perfume from that far away!  Sunny and warm today, which helps power perfumed flowers.

[Lori S.]

Splendid!  So do you actually collect the stamens to dry and use for cooking (re. saffron)?  Looks like you'd have enough there to make it worthwhile.  (It's a moot point here whether this is practical or not, as it's not hardy...  I have tried to grow it.  )

[McDonough]

Splendid!  So do you actually collect the stamens to dry and use for cooking (re. saffron)?  Looks like you'd have enough there to make it worthwhile.  (It's a moot point here whether this is practical or not, as it's not hardy...  I have tried to grow it.  )

No, I haven't actually collected the stamens & styles, but maybe I should give it a try.  I saw a TV show on the cooking network that explained saffron, showing the flower, and that if you peel it open, inside there is the "saffron part" (instead of saying stamens and styles). 

From wikipedia, a fairly in depth discussion on saffron, very interesting!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron
Here's a quote from it:
"C. sativus thrives in the Mediterranean maquis, the North American chaparral, and like climates where hot, dry summer breezes sweep semi-arid lands. It can nonetheless survive cold winters by tolerating frosts as low as −10 °C (14 °F) and short periods of snow cover."

I think C. sativus is much more winter hardy than 14 °F, as I've had mine for about 8 years.  It is VERY SLOW to get going and increase, but once established it appears to be one of the more reliable of the autumn crocus for this climate.  It is sometimes hard to gauge flower size from photos, but the flowers are relatively huge, similar to the size of C. speciosus but on shorter stems.

[Lori S.]

So do you actually collect the stamens to dry and use for cooking (re. saffron)?

Oops, I see from the Wiki article that it is not the stamens per se, but the stigmas and styles that make "saffron" (guess I should have just said "saffron parts" too.  )   Indispensible for paella and other dishes.    

[McDonough]

I do enjoy saffron-spiced dishes.

Found a map that shows where Saffron is cultivated and produced, seems that in the USA, it is produced in California (no surprise there), but also in Pennsylvania... which isn't terribly far from here, so I guess the New England climate is suitable for it.  With the heat, drought, and total baking it had this summer, it should be very happy.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Saffron_crocus_sativus_modern_world_production.png

[Toole]

Nice autumnal 19c here today.

Colchicum autumnale alboplenum.



White form of Crocus banaticus.



Raised from NARGS seedex 2007,Colchicum cupanii has sent up another flower.



Cheers Dave.

[McDonough]

Very nice Dave, the whiteness of the first two remind me of my garden today, after a fresh 6" of snow   For many years I grew a form of Colchicum cupanii; it was one of my favorite little treasures, but sadly it disappeared a few years ago. 

[Hoy]

Nice autumnal 19c here today.

Cheers Dave.

19C? I would say summer!
Nice flowers ayway.

[Todd Boland]

19 C...I'm lucky to see that in summer let alone autumn.

[WimB]

The first of the autumn bulbs are starting to flower:

Colchicum agrippinum
Colchicum 'Glory of Heemstede' (= Colchicum 'Conquest')
Colchicum byzantinum
Colchicum bivonae 'Vesta'
Colchicum tenorii
Colchicum bivonae 'Apollo'
and Crocus kotschyanus

[WimB]

And a couple more,

Crocus kotschyanus (some more in flower)
Colchicum autumnale 'Nancy Lindsay'
Colchicum byzantinum 'Album'
Colchicum laetum
Colchicum 'Lilac Wonder'
Colchicum speciosum 'Album'