PlantFiles: False Autumn Crocus, Showy Colchicum, Naked Ladies, Meadow Saffron
Colchicum 'The Giant'

Very beautiful lavender/ pink flowers. I ordered some Giant Colchicum bulbs on the internet last year. The bulbs were already starting to sprout when I received them in mid-September. I popped them in the ground, and I had flowers blooming in just a few days. They bloomed for about almost a month in my garden (until mid-October).

These are large flowering crocuses which as I write are putting up new growth. They are a nice rich green color of foliage, and will continue to grow to a height of about 8-10". In mid-summer the foliage dies back to the ground, and in late August through mid-September flower buds appear on narrow stems. They are quite attractive in the late summer garden, and the color is welcome at that time when other blooms have diminished. These will even bloom on a bare bulb if left on a sunny window sill.

One of the hybrids produced in Holland in the early 1900's, this is my least favorite; its colour is an insipid pink and it's big and blowsy so that it falls over in our rather wild climate. However, it increases well, and some people like things big!

The picture I've added illustrates the distinguishing features of this variety: pale pink tessellated petals gradually fading into the white centres, over 3 inches long, and brown not yellow anthers. (It has been so dull lately that I had to pick a flower and bring it indoors to get it to open for the picture!)