Some people say less is more, and I can see their point in just about everything… except for plants.  ‘More is more’ is what I say, and even if it gets to the point of ‘too much’ that’s still ok because at that point you’re doing it for the people who don’t grow too many plants, and I’m sure that’s what they would want you to do.  Please don’t try to follow this logic too closely because I’m sure there are quite a few holes in the argument, but long story short:  I still don’t have too many colchicums and even if I did that’s still good because I’m more likely to share a few without risking a cold sweat as they leave my greedy little fist.

Colchicum x byzantinum has grown here for years and it always puts on a lengthy, floriferous show.

So in case I’m being too subtle:  this post will contain too many colchicums

Colchicum ‘Nancy Lindsay’ looking more violet than normal in the evening light.

Before I go off the deep end let me take a minute to provide some slightly useful colchicum information for those who aren’t familiar with the plants (yet).  Generally they’re a bulb -more accurately corm- which puts up lush foliage in the spring, dies down by the summer, and then sends up crocus-like flowers in the fall.  Naked ladies or autumn crocus are two common names and they’re a nice fresh surprise of color when the garden is tending towards tired.  Decent soil, decent drainage, and some full-sun for the leaves in spring and they’re fairly easy to grow… unless they aren’t… which is sometimes the case, and if it happens to you it’s not you, it’s the plant.  Sometimes they’re jerks.

More ‘Nancy Lindsay’.  They’re tucked here and there in a blue fescue border and I like the look.

I have a few colchicums which have been jerks, but some like ‘Nancy Lindsay’ have multiplied from single corms to hundreds and that’s an excellent thing.  I will just enjoy that they like my garden and not dwell on the ones which have faded away, and I suggest you do the same if it happens.

Maybe Colchicum speciosum bornmuelleri group.  I say maybe because a reference book I reference states the “real” thing has brown pollen and these do not, but I’m not quite ready to throw out the name on this one.

Other than the occasional form which insists on dying, the other thing with colchicum is their actual ID.  For some reason colchicum are a little muddled in the bulb trade and even from a decent source there’s a good chance some bulbs are going under the wrong name.  Not a big deal, because most are nice, but if you’re at the point where you already have a bunch of ‘nice’ ones then the confusion can be a little irritating and the quest to get the “real” this or that can turn into a lengthy pursuit.

More maybe bornmuelleri group.  These came from Brent and Becky’s and their description is accurate and the plant is a beauty even if the latest authority describes the form differently.

Only a real nut would take up the mis-labeled challenge and start ordering second and third bulbs from different sources just to see if one looks more “real” than the other, but that’s getting a little too deep so I shall move on without making any guilty confessions.

A nice vigorous (and somewhat floppy) Colchicum speciosum which looks very much like ‘Giant’ but is probably not.  Just so you don’t do the same let me point out this clump was about three times the size until the winter when construction runoff kept this spot too wet.  Avoid that.

Other more interesting observations on colchicum are that they will flower even if not planted.  I showed a bag of stored bulbs coming into bloom in the last post, but a more intentional look would be a bulb or two in a bowl on a windowsill.  It might possibly stress the bulb but not that much, so if you have a couple extra give it a try.  Or if you want, try a few picked blooms in a vase, and oddly enough maybe even try a few in a vase without water.  Fresh flowers will last several days without water, the reason for which I have no idea, but they will and if you’re the type who is a little unsettled by zombie flowers well then put some water in of course.

The box of blooming corms has been planted and seems none the worse for wear.  I dug them from this spot in June but couldn’t come up with a better spot so back they went and now I’ll be stuck mowing around them since this became part of the lawn in the meantime.

The final thing about colchicums is where to plant them.  They flower at a time of year when just about everything else is floppy and overgrown and it’s hard to spot a low flowering bulb which should be showing off front and center.  Some gardeners have nicely mulched beds under shrubs where they show off well, but that’s in short supply here (and might already be dedicated to snowdrops) so into the front edges of the beds they go.  Lawns too, although it takes until early June for the foliage to die back and not everyone can turn a blind eye to unmown lawn for that long.

The meadow has become more shaded than I’d like as the aspens continue to grow, but the colchicums are still doing ok even if the bloom is beginning to thin and the individual flowers look like they’re stretching.

It’s a struggle to leave big empty spots in the borders here, so either by design or chance the colchicums are forced to share.  To be honest most of it is by chance… I am absolutely the kind of gardener who often wanders around with a small pot in had, wondering where it could possibly fit in, and in July when the colchicum foliage is missing and the spot looks available… in goes a new plant!

Some of the better colchicum companions are creeping sedums and thyme.  Colchicum x aggripinum is very accommodating anyway with his low, dwarf foliage, and much easier to work with compared to the leafy mounds of some of his colchicum cousins.

Iv’e had luck planting them amongst creeping thymes and sedums, low fescues, sundrops… anything which isn’t too tall or has overly dense roots… but eventually one reaches a point where one might have more colchicums than groundcovers to cover their feet.  That’s when this gardener decided to go all in and just dedicate a whole bed to colchicums.  There really was little other choice since clumps needed moving and dividing and one can only walk around for so long with a handful of bulbs before realizing the answer is right there in front of you.  The lawn in the side yard is so unnecessary, and wouldn’t a four foot wide grass path be just as effective as a six foot wide path?

The colchicum bed one year on from planting.  I’m hoping by next year the newest plantings will fill in some, and also that the gardener will resist the urge to sneak in too many other goodies. 

The new colchicum bed is nice, but the soil is not.  It’s dry and compacted, and probably doesn’t have all the organic goodness which it should, but a few of the new plantings seem very happy… and a few seem underwhelmed.  I’ll give it a year and maybe then I need to consider a second bed?  One with better soil would be nice but of course those spots are in high demand.

I think this is ‘Faberge’s Silver’ but without a label I’m second guessing myself, even if last year when it was planted I was absolutely sure I’d know it when it comes up.  Maybe the gourd doesn’t fit in this bed, but I’ve never been able to deny a volunteer squash of any kind, they’re always fun to grow.

It’s typical that new ground has barely been planted and the gardener is already talking about more, but that’s about par for the course.  This new bed could almost be called a collection.  I am still insisting it’s not.

What an oddity, colchicum ‘Harlekijn’ has plenty of “interesting” to deserve a spot in this garden.  Normally there’s a bit more pink, but maybe the drought and heat of this spot discourages more color.

Even if it’s not a collection, there are some newer finds which even a non-collector would be compelled to add.  ‘Early Rose’ is into year two here and is again a favorite, with beautiful form and color, good vigor, and multiple flowers for a longer bloom season.

Colchicum ‘Early Rose’ first coming up and coloring up.  It has a nice upright form.

‘Early Rose’ a week later, still upright and still looking great.  There’s even a nice bit of checkering in the bloom, something I always like to see.

And here are some other beauties which are beginning to settle in and clump up.

‘Spartacus’ is a clear pink, dwarf form which is really pretty excellent.  He’s got a long season and a color which stands out.  I wouldn’t mind if he multiplied more quickly… 

‘Glory of Heemstede’ has a nice strong color and puts on a nice show mid season.  Also fairly vigorous with a longer season.

I didn’t buy it as such, but I’ve been told this is ‘Pink Star’ and she is putting on a nice show this year.  

Not the best picture but the double white flowers of ‘alboplenum’ are another one of my favorites, even when I’m trying to pretend I’m too refined for double flowers.  I still wouldn’t mind a bunch more of these even though there are already a few nice patches here and there.

And that’s probably enough colchicums for this year.  You were spared photos of every last one thanks to my summer’s-end laziness and apathy and as you can see there were still probably more than enough.  I hope for your sake the apathy rolls around again next year as well because my hope is they multiply and spread over the next year and there is even more to go on about next season 🙂

Oh, and I may have added a few new ones as well.  PHS Daffodils put out a one time list longer than any I’ve seen in the States and I’d be a fool to pass on them, even if it means looking like I’m some kind of collector -which I’m not.  Here is one last photo to prove there are still some other fall blooming things around.

The hardy cyclamen (C. hederifolium) are coming on strong as the summer fades.  Soon this whole area will be covered by their foliage.

Enjoy your week and I hope September has brought plenty of nice things to your garden as well.