Snow crocus

Snow crocus: how do you recognise it?

Habit

A very low plant 5–8 cm tall, with flowers that just rise above the leaves.

Leaves

Narrow and grassy, with a silvery white central stripe; they keep growing after flowering.

Flower

Small, goblet-shaped flowers with six petals and an orange stigma, in February–March. They open in the sun.

Colour

Golden yellow, cream, white, pale blue or purple, often with dark stripes or markings on the outside.

Corm

A small corm with a fibrous tunic. Each year a new corm forms on top of the old one, with cormlets alongside.

Flowering: February–March · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• One of the first flowers of the year, already in February.
• Welcome pollen and nectar for the first bumblebees and honeybees.
• More flowers per corm than the large crocuses, and in many soft colours.
• It naturalises in grass and borders and comes back every year.
• Small and easy: ideal in pots, rock gardens and at the front of the border.

Snow crocus: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: the flowers only open properly in the sun. Under deciduous trees works too, as they are still bare in February.
• Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky.
• Dry to moist; in wet soil the corms rot. A dry summer suits it well.
• Plant about 5 cm apart, in generous groups of at least twenty.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.08 m tall, 0.05 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrops: White next to yellow and purple, in the same early weeks.
• Winter aconite: Bright yellow flowers with a green ruff, from January–February.
• Dwarf iris: Blue and purple flowers of the same height.
• Hellebore: Larger white and pink flowers above the crocuses.
• Glory-of-the-snow: Small blue starry flowers in March, also for a sunny spot.

Snow crocus: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant in September–November, the earlier the better, so the corms root before winter.
2. Dig a hole 5–8 cm deep; in heavy soil put some coarse sand in the bottom.
3. Set the corms pointed end up, about 5 cm apart, in loose, natural groups.
4. In the lawn: lift a piece of turf or use a bulb planter, plant underneath and firm the turf back down.
5. Cover with soil and firm lightly. Watering is usually not needed.

Care

Water

Not needed in the open ground. In pots, water now and then while it is growing.

Feeding

Not needed. On very poor soil you can scatter some compost after flowering.

Leaves

Let the leaves die back after flowering, so the corm can build up strength.

Mowing

Only mow grass with crocuses once the leaves turn yellow, about six weeks after flowering.

Protection

Plant in a wire basket if mice or squirrels dig up the corms.

Tip: It flowers earlier and with more flowers per corm than the large crocuses: welcome food for the first bumblebees. Plant it 5–8 cm deep in a sunny spot.

Snow crocus: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. Let the leaves die back naturally after flowering.

How:

• There is no need to remove spent flowers: they disappear on their own.
• Let the seed pods ripen if you want it to self-seed.
• Only mow grass with crocuses once the leaves are yellow.

Caution: Do not mow the leaves too early with the grass: the corm weakens and flowers less.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cormlets

Lift crowded clumps once the leaves have died back, in June, separate the corms and replant them straight away or in September.

Seed

In a sunny spot it self-seeds. Seedlings flower after a few years; varieties do not come true.

Snow crocus: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: there is nothing to do.
• Frost and snow on the flowers are no problem; in cold weather the flowers stay closed.
• In a pot: make sure drainage is good and move the pot against a wall in hard frost.

Diseases and pests

• Mice and squirrels: They dig up the corms and eat them. Plant them in a wire basket or lay mesh over the soil after planting.
• Birds: Sparrows sometimes peck the yellow flowers to pieces. A net helps, or choose white and blue varieties.
• Corm rot: Corms rot in wet, heavy soil. Plant in free-draining soil with some coarse sand.
• Poor flowering: Usually too much shade or leaves mown too early. Plant in a sunny spot and leave the leaves.

Through the year

• January: The first leaf tips appear.
• February: Flowering. The first bumblebees on the flowers.
• March: Flowering. Let the leaves grow.
• April: Leave the leaves, do not mow.
• May: The leaves turn yellow. Mow the grass after that.
• June: Divide crowded clumps.
• September: Plant corms.
• October: Plant corms.
• November: Plant the last corms.

Edible and useful

Not edible. Crocuses are mildly poisonous: eating a corm or leaves can cause stomach upsets, with vomiting and diarrhoea, and dogs and cats fall ill from them too. Dogs sometimes dig up newly planted corms: plant them where your dog does not dig, and keep loose corms in a labelled bag out of reach of children and pets. The yellow or orange stigmas in the flower are not saffron: that comes only from the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), which flowers in autumn. Do not confuse crocuses with Colchicum either, which is sometimes called autumn crocus or meadow saffron but is not a crocus and is highly poisonous: a crocus has three stamens, Colchicum six. If you also buy or store Colchicum corms, keep them separate and labelled. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Chrysanthus means ‘golden flower’, after the golden yellow colour of the wild species.
• Crocuses only open when it is warm and sunny enough. When the temperature drops, the flowers close and the pollen stays dry.
• Saffron comes from a different crocus, the saffron crocus, which flowers in autumn. It is the dried stigmas.