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Saturday, August 19, 2006
Plant Pick: Colchicum 'Waterlily' (waterlily autumn crocus)
Such a carefree plant should be in everyone's garden. Autumn crocus, more correctly known as Colchicum, are old-fashioned bulbs that live for years and years.
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The flowers emerge from late summer -- lilac-colored and crocuslike on bare stems. Usually the flowers have a single row of petals, but in the cultivar 'Waterlily' the petals are doubled, making the flowers look like a miniature of their namesake. Any sign of slug damage should be taken care of by using one of the new, non-toxic controls such as Sluggo.
In spring, Colchicum leaves appear; they are large and floppy, resembling hyacinth foliage. Let them be, because they are manufacturing food for the bulbs. As they begin to yellow, you can cut them off. Because Colchicum is dormant in summer, you can use the bulbs near other perennials and under shrubs.
They grow well in part shade, and look especially fine coming up through tall evergreen ground covers such as Epimedium and low Oregon grape (Mahonia nervosa).
-- Marty Wingate
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