How to Grow Colchicum Plants in your Garden

Colchicum Growing and Care Guide

Common Names: Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron, Naked Ladies, Naked Boys.
Life Cycle: Hardy bulb.
Height: One to four inches (3 to 10 cm).
Native: Europe, Mediterranean, Western Asia.
Growing Region: Zones 4 to 9.
Flowers: Species dependent: Beginning of spring or late summer and/or autumn.
Flower Details: Pink, violet, purple, white. Crocus-like. Water lily-like.
Foliage: Produces rosette leaves following flowering. Dark Green.
Sow Outside: Usually grown from bulbs as seed grown plants will not bear flowers for about five or six years.
Colchicum Bulbs: 3 to 5 inches (8 to 12 cm). Late summer and early autumn.
Seeds: Surface 1/8 inch (3 mm). Late summer and early autumn. Germination time: one month to one year. Seeds should first be sown into flats, cover with layers of a compost and grit. Next sink the flat into the ground in an area that offers shade, preferably close to a wall that faces north. Provide a glass/plastic covering. After one year transfer corms to a nursery bed with a spacing of about 12 inches (30 cm). Grow for a further two years, and then transfer to the garden towards the end of summer or early in autumn.
Sow Inside: No.
Requirements: Full sunlight or partial shade. Good drainage. Soil pH 5.5 to 6.5. Rich soil, light soil. Regular watering during dry periods. Leaves will wither in spring, allow to die completely then remove. Propagate: Cormels can be divided in the summer.