Colchicum 'The Giant' - Autumn Crocus
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Incredibly popular plants thanks to their gorgeous, goblet-shaped, pink-purple flowers that appear in September and October from chunky underground bulbs.
Another of the common names of Colchicum is Bare Naked Ladies, this results from its unusual growth cycle where the flowers appear in the autumn with no leaves around them and the leaves and seeds appear in the spring and die off in the summer.
Colchicum autumnale 'The Giant' is a particularly stricking large flowered form.
These autumn-flowering bulbous plants are perfect for naturalising in grass or under the canopy of a specimen tree or deciduous shrubs for example. Supplied as a bulb ready to be planted, they'll immediately throw up plenty of buds and blooms on arrival.
Colchicums need moisture-retentive, fertile soil to flower well. They're best grown in a sheltered spot that enjoys afternoon sun because this encourages a good succession of wide-open flowers Enrich poorer soils by adding good friable compost. However if yours tends to be heavy, improve the drainage by adding coarse grit. Top dress with well-rotted manure or garden compost during dormancy (from November until February) and use a foliar feed, such as seaweed extract, in spring. Don't cut unsightly leaves off; they need to die down naturally to replenish the corm.
Please note that this is a poisonous plant for decoration only, it is not a saffron crocus, and should not be used as such.