Northern Shade Gardening

Crocus vernus through lilac

The Crocus vernus (Dutch crocus) bring the garden to life in early spring, with their bright colours. They started flowering about two weeks after the smaller Crocus chrysanthus. The Dutch bulbs might not be the first crocus to open, but they make up for it with their large, showy blooms.

Crocus vernus 'Pickwick' purple striped

Crocus vernus ‘Pickwick’ have a light background with purple stripes, which look great in a spring garden. For the plant size, the flowers are very large. These are one of my favourite of the Dutch crocus, since they are very showy. The flowers are about as wide across as the stems are tall.

Crocus vernus 'Striped Beauty' purple striped

Crocus vernus ‘Striped Beauty’ are the same as  ‘Pickwick’, with identical purple stripes, and both bloom at the same time. The picture above shows the typical silver stripe down the middle of the crocus leaves. The foliage looks distinctive when it first comes up, but is hardly noticeable when the large blooms open fully.

Crocus vernus 'Silver Cord' white flowers

Crocus vernus ‘Silver Coral’ are white, with a dark purple base. I have some next to the dark purple ‘Remembrance’, which match the base colour. They are very pretty when they open, and shine in the sun. I love all the purple colour in this bed, but the white Silver Coral give a nice visual break in between.

Crocus vernus 'Remembrance' purple Dutch crocus

Crocus vernus ‘Remembrance’ is another of my favourites. The blooms are very large for such a small plant, and the purple colour is intense.

Crocus vernus 'Remembrance' buds just opening

The buds of ‘Remembrance’ open in a beautiful vase shape.

Crocus vernus 'Pickwick' and 'Remembrance'

Here are the purple ‘Remembrance’ behind the purple striped ‘Pickwick’. They coordinate so perfectly together, that I’m going to plant a bed next to this one with these two, and the golden coloured ‘Yellow Mammoth’ next Fall.

Crocus Yellow Mammoth gold Dutch crocus

If I was naming Crocus ‘Yellow Mammoth’, I would have called it golden sunshine. It is  a yellowish orange colour when the  buds first appear, and then a bright, sunny, yellow when the petals open wide. You can see how they really shine in the light. The flowers of Yellow Mammoth hold their petals much flatter, and wider open.

Crocus vernus yellow purple white under lilac

My crocus are planted under a lilac tree, which is just starting to show some green buds now. You can see a section of it in the picture above. They form a bed about 2 metres (6 ft) by 3 metres (9 ft), all around the lilac. In between the crocus groups are  the hardy geraniums, Rozanne and Johnson’s Blue, which will soon be growing. The Johnson’s Blue foliage is just starting to emerge.

Crocus vernus purple yellow and white

I find the spring combination of purple, white, and yellow crocus in the above photo very appealing. At the top right edge, you can just see the start of the Crocus chrysanthus section behind. These Crocus vernus are taller, about 12 cm (5  in) compared to the 8 cm (3 in) in height of those  early snow crocus. The flowers are much larger, too, about 5 to 6 cm (2 in) across.

Crocus bed with Crocus vernus

The yellow and purple combination in this picture is what I want to continue across the path for next spring. The garden bed next to this one looks bare as it waits for the perennials to emerge, with no bulbs and no evergreen leaves. As I look at it now, I can’t believe I didn’t cover it in crocus corms last Autumn.

Crocus 'Yellow Mammoth'

Here is a carpet of Yellow Mammoth crocus.

Do you have any favourite crocus?

Crocus garden bed

The Crocus chrysanthus (snow crocus) are fully open now, and making a wonderful display. These petite bulbs show their petals best in the sun, appearing translucent when the light shines through them. They are my current favourites, mostly because they were the first flowers to bloom this spring, and early is crucial when you’ve waited all winter for gardening to begin.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' with other crocus

Here is a shot showing part of the different groupings in the crocus bed, with Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’ in the front. The Cream Beauty are a soft yellow colour, with a more delicate appearance. The trees around have not started to develop leaves yet, so the garden is relatively sunny for most of the day here, allowing the spring crocus to show their best.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' with lavender tinged petals

The Crocus chrysanthus ‘Blue Pearl’ are mostly white, with  light bluish lavender on the outermost petals. That blue colour shows up best when they are in the bud stage, when the petals are folded, or when surrounded by snow.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' (snow crocus) yellow petals

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Gipsy Girl’ is very flashy, with distinctive maroon stripes contrasting against the yellow on the outside of the buds. I’ve never been attracted to striped flowers before, but I have a fondness for these in the spring garden. I’m ready for bold blooms, after not seeing flowers for so long. They are the first flowers blooming in the early spring garden, and they dazzle with their ornate colour scheme.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Snow Bunting' (snow crocus) glistening

These little bulbs are Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’, with pure white petals. When the sun is bright, these flowers practically glisten while reflecting the light. The dark golden anthers and stigma in the centre are very noticeable.  ‘Snow Bunting’ is a very perky looking plant for having such simple petals.

Crocus chrysanthus ''Fuscotinctus' (snow crocus) with bee

The photo above is another yellow crocus with maroon stripes, called Crocus chrysanthus ‘Fuscotinctus’. The stripes are a little smaller than on Gipsy Girl,  if you are looking for a more subtle colour combination. You can see in the centre of the picture that a bee has been lucky to find an early flower.

One of the best things about these crocus in a northern garden, is that they don’t mind the cold, or a late snowfall. After they started blooming, the temperatures went down to – 11º C  (12º F) and the flowers were coated in fresh snow, but they just folded their petals, and opened again when the sun shone. This is a perfect strategy for such an early spring bulb. There is more information about these hardy Crocus chrysanthus in this previous post.

Now, more of the large Dutch crocus flowers are unfurling, and I’m sure when those showy blooms open fully, they will become my new favourites. :)

I liked so many of the snow crocus photos, that I decided to put them in a gallery. You can click on any of the gallery pictures to see a full size enlargement.

Crocus chrysanthus Gipsy Girl with Blue Pearl behind

Crocus chrysanthus (snow crocus) are a welcome sight in the early spring garden. Living up to their name, they rise up at the edge of the melting snow, bringing lively spring colours when they are most appreciated. Their little flowers would get lost in the summer garden, but they make a big splash in the early spring, when the leftover fall leaves are still on the ground, and most perennials are just dried stems. These bulbs have been very hardy in zone 3, even through the coldest winter.

Crocus chrysanthus Gipsy Girl (snow crocus) striped buds

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Gipsy Girl’ is a sunny yellow, with maroon stripes underneath, for a little flair. The buds are beautiful, with the stripes showing up well. These showy blooms were the first in my garden this year, so if you are looking for a plant to extend your garden season, these are a great choice.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' (snow crocus) open

When the Gipsy Girl flowers open their petals, they form sunny yellow cups. A group of these are very eye-catching in the garden, despite only rising a few cm (inches) above the ground.

Crocus chrysanthus Fuscotinctus (snow crocus) striped buds

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Fuscotinctus’ is another yellow snow crocus with brownish purple stripes. The stripes are more slender and not quite as pronounced as Gipsy Girl.
Because the stripes are on the outside of the petals, they are most visible in the bud stage, or when closed up in the evening.

Crocus chrysanthus Fuscotinctus (snow crocus) blooms

When they open, the inside of the ‘Fuscotinctus’ flower has sunny yellow petals, and a darker ring in the middle. These petite plants make a bright grouping.

Crocus chrysanthus Cream Beauty (snow crocus) buds

The flowers of Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’ are a softer, light yellow butter colour. You couldn’t get a more cheery colour for spring.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' (snow crocus) yellow petals

Here, the ‘Cream Beauty’ flowers are just flaring out their buds.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' (snow crocus) petals

The ‘Cream Beauty’ flowers were the third ones to open their petals. All of the snow crocus colours coordinate beautifully together, and are overlapping their bloom time.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' (snow crocus) opening

I love the these dainty Cream Beauty flowers, as well as the slender green leaves, with the typical silver crocus stripe down the middle of each leaf.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' (snow crocus) open

The above photo of Cream Beauty flowers show the extra sunny colour of the inside petals, and the paler colour of the outside of the petals.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' (snow crocus) April

These Cream Beauty flowers look like they were carved by a chef from butter. The outer petals flare slightly, and the inner ones are ready to open.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' (snow crocus) blue bud

The Crocus chrysanthus ‘Blue Pearl’ buds are a pale lavender blue, like the one in the centre of the picture above. The flowers are very pale, and appear white on top in the bright light. These were the second flowers to open up, right after the Gipsy Girl crocus.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' (snow crocus) sunlit

I’m enchanted by how the sun shines right through the petals of these flowers, showing the shadows of the anthers and stigma within. It gives then an ethereal appearance.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' (snow crocus) groups

This photo show the pretty flower clusters, with the petals halfway open, and still pointing up.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' (snow crocus) flowers

Here is another view of a Blue Pearl group, with diminutive flowers facing up to the sun.

Crocus chrysanthus Snow Bunting (snow crocus) opening

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’ is a pure white colour. These buds are just starting to open. Nine of these were included free with an order I placed, and I planted them on their own. However, they need more bulb companions, since they are so small. Still, they are pretty and spring like.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Snow Bunting' (snow crocus) open

Here is the Snow Bunting group, with the elfin petals opening for the sun.

The small bulbs look great in large groups, since they need the massing effect to be visible from a distance. I have from 9 to 60 of each type of snow crocus, and the larger groups really show up best. However, even a few bulbs placed up close, where they can be admired, give an instant spring lift. They are about 8 cm (3 in) tall when in bloom, so it’s a good thing they flower before the taller perennials are up.

Crocus chrysanthus Fuscotinctus (snow crocus) opening

The petals of the crocus flowers fold up at night, and when it is cloudy, and then open up to greet the sun. I have them planted in an area that doesn’t get too shady until the trees leaf out next month, so the bulbs are able to open for most of the day. They are planted under a lilac, and in between hardy Rozanne and Johnson’s Blue geraniums, which haven’t come up yet. Right now in April, the crocus have all the space to themselves. As they die back, the perennial geraniums will grow up to cover the decaying bulb foliage, and the lilac will leaf out above.

The snow crocus get the garden off to a quick start, when most other spring bulbs are just starting to peek up, and most perennials are playing it safe under ground. They shrug off the cool air, melting snow, and old leaves, in a hurry to brighten the newly exposed garden. I really appreciate them in a short season gardening zone, since they lengthen the bloom time, when you just can’t wait any longer for the gardening season to begin. Even if their extra early flowers get covered in snow, they are still worth it, for the brief glimpse of soft petals and spring joy.

You can see these crocus with more open petals in this followup post.

Crocus chrysanthus Blue Pearl in snow