Northern Shade Gardening

Crocus chrysanthus snow crocus with yellow and light blue flowers

Crocus chrysanthus (snow crocus) are one of the first bulbs to flower in spring, with delicate little petals in cheery colours. The only bulbs in my garden that flowered earlier this year were the Galanthus (snowdrops). I look forward to the sight of all of these miniature flowers appearing as the snow melts. Crocus vernus (large Dutch crocus) flowers are double the size of the snow crocus. However, even though each snow crocus flower is small, as a large drift they make a wonderful patchwork of colour against the brown of  last fall’s leaves.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' sunny yellow flowers with maroon stripes

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Gipsy Girl’ has medium yellow petals, and on the outside there are zippy maroon coloured stripes that show up well when the petals are closed. In the brightest light of day, the petals open wide to show a glowing yellow, and the contrasting stripes are not very visible. Instead, there are  golden anthers in each cup.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' with closed petals in gold and maroon

In early morning,  evening, or on a cloudy day, the petals fold upright, so the stripes on the outside make them a little more flamboyant. In the picture above you can see how the coloured lines curve up to the petal tips.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' in front with 'Blue Pearl' behind

Here you can see a group of yellow ‘Gipsy Girl’ snow crocus  in the front, with the pale blue colour of ‘Blue Pearl’ behind.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Gipsy Girl' with Crocus chrysanthus'Blue Pearl'

Above you can see the petals of  ‘Gipsy Girl’ opening as the sun hits them. Last year, the ‘Gipsy Girl’ and the similar looking ‘Fuscotinctus’ crocus were about the same size, but this year the  ‘Gipsy Girl’ flowers are almost twice as big. If I plant any more next fall, I would go with ‘Gipsy Girl’ instead of Fuscotinctus’.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Fuscotinctus' yellow flowers

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Fuscotinctus’ is another snow crocus with a bright yellow colour embellished with contrasting maroon stripes on the outside of the petals. The petals are a little darker than ‘Gipsy Girl’, so if you want a more golden coloured snow crocus these are a good choice.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' flowers with butter yellow petals

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’ has delicate shadings of soft, butter yellow and cream. These look great with other darker yellow flowers, or with light colours like ‘Blue Pearl’.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' flowers in dappled light

Here the Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’ have a bit of dappled light, under the bare branches of a maple tree. The crocus would not be as decorative in the shade, with their petals always folded, but in early spring, they do well before the leaves come out on the trees.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' flowers

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Blue Pearl’ is a real chameleon of a crocus. In bright light it looks all white, with no hint of its name. However, when the sun is low, or with a few shadows, it can appear very blue. The outside of the petals are more blue, so the colour is more pronounced when they start to fold in dimmer light.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Snow Bunting' snow crocus in white

My Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’ flowered first this year, perhaps because the snow melted a little quicker in this area of the garden. Their white petals are beautiful in the bright sun, and they show up perfectly against the dark earth. Inside at the base, the bottom of the petals have a gold coloured ring to match the anthers.

Crocus chrysanthus snow crocus in yellow and light blue

These crocus are planted in between hardy geraniums, which are still underground. I planted these in holes dug around the perennials,  around 15 to 20 per hole. There are around 200 Crocus chrysanthus, and 200 Crocus vernus in this section.  As the crocus fade away through spring, the geraniums start emerging, and cover the fading bulb foliage. In the centre is a lilac, with leaf buds that are just starting to swell. The layering of a small lilac shrub above,  hardy geranium ‘Rozanne’ perennials under, and snow crocus and Crocus vernus (large Dutch crocus) bulbs between has been very successful, and one that I can recommend. Here are some more Crocus chrysanthus photos and information from last year.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' snow crocus with Crocus vernus behind

I’m very pleased with how the cheery little snow crocus are flourishing. They have come back with more and larger flowers this year, despite a harsh winter. Since some bulbs tend to fade away year after year, it is great to see the snow crocus getting better as they settle in. They make a wonderful start to the gardening year.

The exquisite flowers of Galanthus elwesii (snowdrops) and Crocus chrysanthus (snow crocus) bring tremendous joy, all out of proportion to their diminutive petal size. These small spring bulbs are the most anticipated in my garden. Both live up to their name, and start flowering right at the edge of the receding snow line. They don’t mind the freezing spring nights, and take advantage of the warm daylight filtering through the bare tree branches.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Snow Bunting' (snow crocus) collage

These Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’ started flowering at the edge of the snow, just a day after it melted from above them. You can see the rest of the snow behind them, which still covers much of the garden. The little snow crocus don’t bother waiting for promises of warmer days. They get right to work, unrolling their pure white petals to expose the golden anthers inside. Any awakening pollinators should be happy to find the crocus flowers.

I planted the ‘Snow Bunting’ two falls ago, and they have twice as many flowers on them as last year. It’s good to know that they appreciate the site and are flourishing. This area gets shadier in the summer, but gets a medium amount of light in early spring, when the crocus can use it.

I have many other snow crocus just a little ways over, but they are still covered in deeper snow. If this warm weather continues, they might be flowering by the end of the week. We had deep cover this winter, so where snow patches have melted closer to the warmth of the house, the green of Crocus vernus (large Dutch crocus) has started to appear. Although they usually flower after the little snow crocus, they might be first this year, other than ‘Snow Bunting’. If the C. vernus flower early, and the C. chrysanthus flower late, they might both flower together this spring, which should make for a great display.

Galanthus elwesii first snowdrops

The Galanthus elwesii are also early risers. This is a ladybug’s view of the flowers, where you can see the details of green markings on the inner petals. The snowdrops are such graceful looking flowers, for having such a tough disposition. Mine don’t seem to spread much, and are still a fairly small patch.

The rest of the snowdrop bulbs are just popping their tips above the leaves. I leave the fallen leaves on the garden as a protective mulch, and have just started removing it, where it’s not still frozen to the ground. There are some other early spring bulbs nearby showing a few green tips through the leaves. The Chionodoxa (glory of the snow) and Scilla (squills) should be up soon, and will start flowering quickly, too.

earliest spring bulb flowers

Above is a collage of some early spring sightings this weekend. On the upper left is a picture of a fat, pink Helleborus bud. The Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ perennials are full of these plump buds, which look as attractive as flowers. In another week or so, they should be opening as well. On the upper right are the leaves of Crocus vernus. There are dozens and dozens of them looking like green spears thrusting out of the old, crystallized snow and ice.

These first bulbs are flowering about 3 weeks later than last year. After a long off-season, it’s so heartening to finally see the first blooms. Now that the ground can finally feel the warmth of the sun, the rest of the bulbs should be coaxed out soon, and liven up the garden. I love the earliest spring bulbs that satisfy your thirst for blooms after the long flower drought, so pretty, so dainty,  and so appreciated.

We’ve had a number of frosts down to -7º C (20º F). Far too chilly for most plants, but the perennial that keeps flowering is Campanula rotundifolia (harebells). The pretty blue bells are suspended from thin flower stalks, looking ethereal and graceful. Although they appear too delicate for the weather, they are actually extremely hardy flowers. The snow was thick and heavy before it melted, and I’m surprised they didn’t get flattened like other plants in the garden.

Campanula rotundifolia harebells in snow

You can see in the photo above that after the recent snow, I’ve grown slack with my deadheading. However the Campanula rotundifolia continue to bloom, and actually have a fair number of flowers. Perhaps I will be tromping out in my boots this winter, and brushing the snow aside in order to keep deadheading the spent flowers. ;) They are doing their best, and I don’t want to let them down. These hardy perennials have been in bloom since June, with those pretty petals that flare gracefully at the bottom. This link shows how the harebells look in summer.

An honourable mention goes to Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ for faking it by keeping the flowers bracts for so long. ‘Ivory Prince’ tried to convince me that you don’t need petals, stamens or a pistil to be considered a flower. I threw in bonus points for it having started flowering last April, but it still came in second place. Campanula portenschlagiana (Dalmation bellflower) is another runner up for hardiest flower, but it doesn’t have as many blooms as in previous years.

Campanula rotundifolia flowering in late fall

There are many foliage plants that still have great looking leaves, but very few perennials want to keep flowering at the end of the season once they’ve been snowed on, and when the temperatures drop so low. I have a lot of respect for Campanula rotundifolia, and its willingness to continue flowering for so long. Now excuse me while I do some deadheading, if my fingers don’t go numb. What is the hardiest flower in your garden?

Campanula rotundifolia harebells closeup