Goulimy's crocus

Goulimy's crocus: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small corm plant of about 10 cm high, with flowers held on long, slender tubes above the ground.

Leaves

Narrow and grass-like, dark green with a pale midrib; appear around flowering and stay green through winter.

Flowers

Lavender-blue to lilac flowers with a long white tube, in October–November.

Bulb/corm

A small, round corm, covered in a brown fibrous tunic.

Dormancy

Summer rest: from May–June until autumn the corm rests underground; the leaves have then withered.

Flowering: October–November · Plants: July–August

Why grow it?

• Flowers late in the year, in October–November, when most garden flowers are over.
• Elegant lilac-blue flowers with a long white tube.
• One of the last sources of nectar and pollen for bees in late autumn.
• Loves drought and sun, so suits a rock garden, gravel garden or warm corner.
• Small and easy to combine, also in pots and containers.

Goulimy's crocus: where does it grow best?

• Full sun in a warm, sheltered spot, for example against a south-facing wall or in a rock garden.
• Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky; mix heavy soil with coarse sand or grit.
• Dry to lightly moist; especially during the summer rest the soil must stay dry. Wet winters are its greatest enemy.
• Allow 8–10 cm between corms; plant in groups of 10 or more for the best effect.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.1 m tall, 0.05 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -12 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Colchicum: Another autumn flower with large blooms at ground level.
• Stonecrop: A drought-tolerant perennial with late flowers that suits a rock garden.
• Lavender: Loves sun and dry soil.
• Ornamental grass: Soft plumes that show off the flower tubes.
• Thyme: A low, aromatic herb that tolerates the same dry, sunny soil.

Goulimy's crocus: when and how to plant it?

Plant in July–August.

1. Plant the corms in July–August, as early as possible, before they dry out or start into growth.
2. Dig a hole or planting bed and loosen the soil; ensure free-draining soil with sand or grit.
3. Plant the corms 8–10 cm deep, pointed end up.
4. Leave 8–10 cm between the corms and preferably plant in groups.
5. Do not water too much after planting; the corms come out of dormancy with the autumn rains. A layer of grit on top keeps the soil dry.

Care

Water

Do not water in summer. In autumn and winter the rain is enough; keep a pot lightly moist from September.

Feeding

Not really needed. If you like, a little potash-rich fertiliser or compost over the soil in autumn.

Mulching

A thin layer of coarse sand or fine grit around the plants keeps the soil dry and the flowers clean.

Leave the leaves

Leave the foliage after flowering and in spring; the corm recharges until the leaves die back in May–June.

Shelter

In a wet climate a spot under the eaves, in a cold frame or a pot under glass helps keep the corms dry.

Tip: Plant the corms as early as possible in July–August in a sunny, dry spot, and keep them dry in summer and winter. In a pot it is easy to shelter.

Goulimy's crocus: when to prune it?

When: Pruning is not needed; only cut off flowers and leaves when they have withered.

How:

• Let the foliage die back naturally, usually in May–June; only cut it off when it is yellow and limp.
• Remove faded flowers if you want it tidy, but leave the foliage intact.
• In autumn remove dead leaves and weeds so the flowers stand clear.

Caution: Do not cut off the green leaves too early: the corm needs them to store energy for next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Dividing corms

Lift clumps after the leaves have died back (May–June) or when they are crowded, about every 3–4 years. Separate the cormlets and replant straight away in July–August.

Seed

Sow fresh seed in spring or autumn in pots of sandy soil. It takes several years before the seedlings flower.

Goulimy's crocus: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −12 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Hardy to about −12 °C: in Flanders it tolerates most winters, but wet is more dangerous than frost.
• Give the corms a dry, sheltered spot or a pot that you place against a wall, under an overhang or in a cold frame.
• In hard frost, lightly cover the spot with dry leaves or conifer branches, but remove it in mild weather.

Diseases and pests

• Mice and voles: They eat the corms. Plant in wire-mesh baskets or choose a spot they visit less.
• Corm rot: Soft, mouldy corms in wet soil. Provide drainage with grit and sand and do not water in summer.
• Birds and slugs: Sparrows shred flowers, slugs nibble flowers in damp weather. Protect with netting or collect the slugs.
• No flowers: Too little sun in summer, planted too late or soil too wet. Choose a sunny, dry spot and plant in July–August.

Through the year

• January: Leaves appear or are already there. Keep dry.
• February: Leaves grow. Check the soil is not too wet.
• March: Leaves keep growing.
• April: Leave the foliage.
• May: Leaves die back. Lift and divide corms if needed.
• June: Summer rest: keep dry.
• July: Plant corms. Keep dry.
• August: Plant corms.
• September: First autumn rains. Keep the pot lightly moist.
• October: Flowering begins.
• November: Full bloom. Protect the pot in frost.
• December: Rest. Keep dry.

Edible and useful

Not edible. These autumn-flowering crocuses are also mildly poisonous: eating a corm or leaves can cause stomach upsets, with vomiting and diarrhoea, and dogs and cats fall ill from them too. They flower in autumn, like the saffron crocus and the highly poisonous Colchicum, and look like both. Saffron comes only from the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), with its three long red stigmas: do not harvest saffron from these crocuses, and if you want saffron, grow crocuses sold as Crocus sativus. Colchicum, which is also called autumn crocus or meadow saffron, is not a crocus and has six stamens instead of three. They are all planted in summer, like the saffron crocus and Colchicum: keep the corms separate and labelled, and out of reach of children and pets. 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?

• Crocus goulimyi is named after Constantine Goulimis, a Greek plant enthusiast who found the species in Greece in the 1950s.
• Crocuses belong to the iris family (Iridaceae), not to the lily or colchicum family, although colchicum and autumn crocus look very similar.
• Each year a new corm forms on top of the old one, which shrivels: the plant slowly ‘climbs’ upwards.