Have you ever visited a botanical garden on a warm spring day and marveled at tulips in a rainbow of colors, with shapes ranging from cups to stars, contrasting striations, and ruffled edges?Now’s your chance to bring a taste of that awes
12.06.2023 - 01:12 / gardenerspath.com / Gretchen Heber
How to Grow and Care for Crocus FlowersWhile its brilliantly-colored beauty is enough to make even the sourest puss happy, a crocus poking its brightly hued head through the snow is known to trigger frenzied joy in those who feel perpetually winter-afflicted.
Many gardeners look to the appearance of crocuses as the first sign that spring is but a nanosecond away. And what is more joyful to a horticulturist than springtime after a long, chilly season of leafless shrubs and bare trees?
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
Let’s learn more about this beautiful genus of plants that provide a welcome burst of springtime color.
What Are Crocus Flowers?Crocus is a genus of 90 closely related species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants belonging to the iris family that grow from corms. Although they are known for flowering in the spring, select species bloom in the autumn or the winter. They are native to North Africa and the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean (in particularly the islands of the Aegean region) and stretching to Central Asia and western China.
Their native habitat is fairly diverse and includes meadows, scrubs and woodlands. Most species are quite petite and grow four to six inches tall.
Saffron, a spice that is largely feature in Spanish cuisine, is manufactured from the stigmas of the autumn-blooming C. sativus species. This pricey and highly sought-after cooking ingredient traditionally used in risottos, pilafs, and paellas.
Read more about its use as an herb on our sister site, Foodal. And get Foodal’s delicious paella recipe that features this seasonal and much-coveted ingredient.
Cultivation and HistoryCrocus sativus was first
Have you ever visited a botanical garden on a warm spring day and marveled at tulips in a rainbow of colors, with shapes ranging from cups to stars, contrasting striations, and ruffled edges?Now’s your chance to bring a taste of that awes
Years after the fact, I remain flummoxed as to why my neighbor Daniel – an otherwise normal, rational person – ripped down and pulled out a spectacular, 20-foot-tall labyrinth of colorful crossvine that was growing on a trellis he had built up against his house.Crossvine is a fast-growing climbing vine that can reach 50
According to the National Gardening Association, tomatoes are the most commonly grown backyard vegetable, and for good reason.Not only is a fresh-picked, homegrown tomato extraordinarily tasty
Fuchsia is a genus of eye-catching, vibrant plants that bloom all summer long with glorious teardrop-shaped flowers in a variety of vivid colors.When you picture fuchsia, you may imagine a ha
Balloon flower, Platycodon grandiflorus, is a native of the Russian Far East, China, Japan, and Korea that has become a garden sensation in the United States.A member of the Campanulaceae family that includes bellflower
The best part of living somewhere cold and snowy is that the wildflowers that bloom after winter bring me a sense of delight I can’t quite describe.Here in Alaska, it’s the wild roses, bluebel
Cosmos flowers are gorgeous ornamental plants that flourish in less than ideal conditions.A boon to pollinators and other beneficial insec
For a funky-looking annual that’s just unusual enough to be totally awesome, how about giving some bells of Ireland a ring?We link to vendors to help you find relevant products.
If you love growing common sage in your herb garden and live in a warm area, you’ll want to consider adding Cleveland sage into the mix.Salvia clevelandii, also known as California blue, frag
The aster is a sturdy-stemmed flowering perennial known for its masses of small daisy-like blossoms.There are numerous aster species in several genera within the Asteraceae family that contains chrysanthemums, daisie
With its alluring and vibrant blooms, lantana is one of the most beloved ornamental plants you can have in your garden.Its splashes of color will bring an undeniable bea
Columbine, or Aquilegia, is an intriguing member of the Ranunculaceae family with exquisite petals that give it an ephemeral quality, like a briefly glimpsed hummingbird.It is an herbaceous perennial that blooms from sp