#colchicums

Mud Season 2020: The course of true spring never did run smooth, but it's getting off to an early start this year! How many different kinds of plants do you have blooming during mud season? Bet you I have more!

How was your winter? My winter was pretty mild, and mud season started in February, with alternating snows and thaws. I was fortunate to miss a heavy snowfall that buried gardeners north of here, so mud season is here in earnest now, and I’m enjoying the rewards of planting the earliest blooms where the snow melts first. As of yesterday, all the snow has melted. As of today, it’s snowing but not…

The Newest Colchicums On The Block

I know a lot more about colchicums than I once did, thanks to the internet. And now I’m growing colchicums I never would have known about, if it weren’t for the internet and the people I’ve been able to “meet” through the internet. (more…)

A 5 day circular walk in the Tarn and Averyron region of France: day 1 Cordes sur Ciel to Vaour

The first day of a 5 day circular walk in the Tarn and Averyon region of France, starting at Cordes sur ciel

Date walked: 22nd September 2017

Distance: around 14 miles

Booking company: Sherpa Expeditions.Sherpa made all the hotel and bed and breakfast bookings, arranged transfer of our bags each day between destinations and provided detailed descriptions of each days walk and large scale map…

Where’s The Best Place to Buy Colchicums?

Where’s the best place to buy colchicums?

Two people have asked me that in the past week, and I figure if two readers are actually asking me, there must be quite a few more who are wondering the same thing, but not wondering aloud.

When is the best time to buy colchicums?

I find I can’t talk about where without also talking about when and why. First, let’s review a little bit about colchicums.…

Bright Spots and Lots of Texture: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day September 2014

Unlike mid-summer when there are large drifts of color in the garden, the late summer garden has bright spots and lots of texture,” says my friend Layanee, and I couldn’t agree more. Many plants have finished blooming, their foliage and seedheads now providing texture, some plants are just reaching their peak, and still others are getting a second wind. The special charm of autumn is the contrast…

How Does A Colchicum Know When To Bloom?

I‘ve grown colchicums for more than two dozen years. I’ve tried more than two dozen kinds, and I still grow most of them. I’ve read everything about colchicums I could get my hands on. But there’s still one thing about them I don’t know and would like to: what combination of factors induces them to bloom?

This year I noticed that the first several varieties emerged on the same day, September 3rd,…