plantas y flores / plants and flowers: CROCUS

CROCUS

'Ruby Giant' crocus can be counted on to come back each spring, if squirrels don't eat them. " src="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/11-19-2009.ngd_17Crocus1.GPO2NKPGC.1.jpg" onclick="return clickedImage(this);" alt="Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center" onmouseover=" this.style.cursor='hand'" height="247" width="175">

Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center

'Ruby Giant' crocus can be counted on to come back each spring, if squirrels don't eat them.

The one spring crocus that can be counted on to return year after year is C. tommasinianus, known as tommies. They want to bloom in full sun and will even close if the day is drab. Extremely well-draining soil is a must; with crocus, there's no such thing as too much grit, and they could even be planted in a lawn area that has been replaced by fine gravel or decomposed granite. With the amount of water we stubbornly pour on lawns here, don't count on that romantic notion of crocuses blooming in turf.

Sometimes C. seiberi, biflorus and chrysanthus may return, but if not, consider it an annual opportunity to experiment with color schemes and garden layouts.

If you think it extravagant to cover a sweep of ground with Dutch crocus year after year, then fill a shallow pot with them for placement by an oft-used door or on a table in the sun close by a kitchen window. Mix two parts potting soil to one part builder's sand or fine gravel. Top dress with more gravel. Within six weeks, the crocus will start to emerge.