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Crocus bulbs

WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
in Problem solving
Last year I bought big bags of crocus bulbs (mixtures of yellow/purple/orange/white - can't remember the varieties) to plant in the lawn. There were loads of them. Admittedly, I left planting them very late, at least a month after the recommended planting time, but out of all of those bulbs only four have survived and flowered, all of them orange. In contrast, crocuses that I bought in the green from the garden centre and planted in pots have all done beautifully, regardless of their colour.

Seemingly, some types/colours are more resilient to extended storage, so I am wondering what other people's experiences of planting crocus bulbs is like. Would people recommend trying again this autumn with bulbs and making sure I get them in the ground earlier this time, or should I just cut my losses and wait until next Spring to buy more in the green from the garden centre again?

Thanks.

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Just buy and plant at the right time ... it’s always worked for me. Bulbs  and corms don’t store well past autumn. 



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    Most of the smaller bulbs really want to be planted in September or early October for best results. But with such mass death, it's also possible you had something eating them. I well remember losing nearly £50 worth of crocus to an army of mice one year...
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    Does seem odd, We have planted Crocus right up to January and they have survived. We lost a lot to mice every year too. Was the grass growing in compacted soil? That might affect the corms.
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    I have one crocus and a squirrel, switched to daffodils so I have some spring colour  :D 
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    edited March 2021
    Thank you to you all for your comments, @Dovefromabove, @Cambridgerose12, @Palustris, and @herbaceous. From the sounds of what you've said, I think it might be a multitude of issues that have affected my success rate! I did plant them a bit late, so hopefully planting in good time this year might improve that, and the soil is relatively compacted (basically topsoil with builders' rubble not far down), and we do have a family of mice living under the shed. The mice tend to pick up the fallen seeds from the bird feeders, so it hadn't occurred to me that they might fancy a quick snack on some bulbs as well - I figured they'd be buried deep enough that it wasn't worth the effort in comparison. Maybe I was wrong!

    I will definitely make sure that this year I buy even more bulbs than before (to account for the potential mouse influence), plant them in time, and will try to break up the ground a bit more this year following advice I have seen on other posts and the RHS website.

    Thank you all for your help.
  • Dirty HarryDirty Harry Posts: 1,048
    Buying crocus bulbs in the green would be comparatively extortionate would it not?

    Really wouldn't bother, they're as easy as it gets.
  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    @Dirty Harry Very good point. Quite possibly, yes, but I have only acquired my own garden relatively recently, so I am not particularly well acquainted with the economy of different stages of plants yet! Bulbs being cheaper definitely makes sense, though, so I think I shall go with what you suggest and give them another shot this Autumn. I guess, if it fails, at least this time I will be more prepared and will be able to purchase stuff in the green before the garden centres go out of stock.

    Thank you for your advice, it's very much appreciated. I was a bit sad this Spring that they hadn't done better, but between you and the others, I have greater expectations for next Spring and am tentatively hopeful for a spectacular display :)
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Some varieties  of crocus flower later than others. 
    The small types that are better for naturalising  are usually the earliest, some of the larger bloomed types are often quite a bit later ... you may still see some more of yours appear. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    @Dovefromabove You're right, just spotted two purples ones and I think two white ones that have just popped up and have formed tiny flower buds! Still way less than I planted, but there's clearly still hope :) I will see how many I have had by the end of Spring, and then judge how many more I may need to buy to bulk them up in Autumn. Thanks for the advice, otherwise I wouldn't have been looking as closely and might have missed them - and being squashed by my boot wouldn't have done them any favours.
  • SkylarksSkylarks Posts: 379
    Mine were planted very last last year. I bought end of season ones for half price. Some went into a pots and some in my lawn. The blasted squirrels have dug up most of the ones planted in the lawn and I’m now left with lots of holes. There have been a couple that have survived, but compared to the pot grown ones, they are tiny. 
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