Northern Shade Gardening

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 it’s 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 love these in the 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.  It’s 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 love 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

Galanthus Puschkinia Scilla bulbs

I’ve been adding more of the smaller spring bulbs to my garden this fall. These are easy to tuck into a garden bed, in between perennials. When the bulbs die back by summer, the perennials will take their place, extending the flowering time. I’ve expanded some established groups of bulbs, adding more for a splashier spring show. In the photo above, you can see the Galanthus (snowdrops), Puschkinia (striped squills) and Scilla (squills) bulbs from left to right.

I did most of my bulb planting in September, before my zone gets much frost. This gives the bulbs a chance to settle in before the cold temperatures stop the growth. During the past few weeks, the temperatures went above freezing, and I saw some bulbs on sale. I planted some more of my favourites in the garden. It’s a little late in the season to be adding bulbs in zone 3, but the ones I added late last year survived, so I’m optimistic again this year.

Scilla siberica squill flowers May

Many of the little bulbs have smaller foliage that fades away quickly, like these Scilla. After the blooms have gone, the bulb leaves need to photosynthesize, but larger leaves can look messy as they decay. The short, narrower leaves of the littlest bulbs are more easily hidden by surrounding perennials, and also die back quickly. They can store up energy for next year, without looking too unkempt.

small bulb packages

The smaller bulbs look especially charming in spring, when very few plants are blooming. Before the attention grabbing perennials start to flower, you can appreciate the elfin charm of the dainty blooms. The Puschkina scilloides are less than 15 cm (6 in) tall, and at any other time of the year they would be hidden in the garden, but they stand out when there is very little foliage around. They look eye-catching when planted in large groups, but can be appreciated in a small group, if they are planted next to the steps, or in a corner near a path.

Galanthus elwesii snowdrop bulbs

I added some more of the earliest bulb of all, Galanthus elwesii (snowdrops), with the charming white petals. The tiny snowdrop bulbs can be planted fairly close together, and these definitely need a large group, or tight planting to show up well. These are planted at the edge of a larger group of Galanthus.

Galanthus elwesii flower closeup May

Here is a snowdrop flower from last May. As the first blooms in the spring garden, the Galanthus get lots of attention. Those bright outer petals, hide the little green markings, unless you get down for a closeup look. In earliest spring, you can appreciate the subtle details.

Puschkinia libanotica striped squill flower May

The Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) bloom after the Galanthus in my garden. These Puschkinia  are some of the showiest of the petite bulbs. They have large clusters of small blue and white petals. I have some Puschkinia scilloides ‘Alba’ that bloom in all white too. They are nice, but I prefer the lively little blue racing stripes of these bulbs.

Puschkinia libanotica striped squill bulbs

The Puschkinia bulbs can be planted close, a few cm apart, so the flowers almost touch each other, and display well. In the photo above, I’m adding these between Brunnera plants, next to an established patch of striped squills. The group looked great last spring, but I thought it could be larger. I dig a shallow hole, and put about 20 of  the bulbs in it, with their points up. Then dig another hole between the next perennials. They get covered up with soil, watered in, and next a layer of fall leaves over top.

Scilla siberica squill bulbs

The blue Scilla siberica (squills) bloom soon after the striped squills. These look fantastic paired with other white or blue flowers. Even the bulbs themselves have a purplish blue covering when you plant them. The actual flowers have have a true blue colour, as shown in the picture second from the top.

Puschkinia libanotica and snow May

Here is a typical spring picture from a northern garden, little Puschkinia snow cones, from last May. The tiny flowers of the small bulbs usually recover quickly from a spring snow, and continue to look good when the sun shines again. This is probably one of the best reasons for planting these hardy bulbs.

Earlier this fall I wrote about planting some crocus bulbs, pairing the small Muscari (grape hyacinth) bulbs with tulips, and underplanting shrubs with Chionodoxa (glory of the snow) bulbs. When there is very little new green foliage in early spring, it is fun to wander around the garden, looking for the latest bulbs to bloom. I’ll be ready for spring to burst with colour, after the monotones of winter.