Well I suppose you could say they disappear before mowing.... I have other bulbs in there as well and don't mow that area until late august when the butterfly weed and rudbeckia are finished. In the spring their lush leaves look a little odd spotting around in the lawn.

Mine (I think this is cv 'Poseidon'...but not sure) started today. Apologize for the sunlight interference...but it was tightly closed till the sun hit it.

My C. byzantium are coming into bloom now in SE PA. The C speciosum alba and C. 'Lilac Beauty' will be next and the C. 'Waterlily' will bring up the last I have. I bought a dozen of the Waterlily really cheap on eBay 2 Summers ago, and said even if they weren't really Waterlily, it was cheap for any colchicum, but all of them turned out to be true to name. Often this is not the case on eBay buys.

My Colchicums suddenly sent up flower spikes today! Here are the Byzantiums:

Yeah! It's going to keep coming. Mine is pushing through as well. With this heat, it will probably open this weekend.

And guess what? My C. Waterlily and Crocus speciosus from Brent and Becky's arrived yesterday. Just in the nick of time because I am flying out of the country tonight. I hope they will be in bloom when I come home next month.

Some more colchicums blooming.

This is the same bulb as above but with more flowers open.

Colchicum Tenori

Mislabel Colchicum - does anyone know what this maybe?

Beautiful pictures! My bulb is on its fifth flower and still going after a week. I ordered this one bulb to try and understand the appeal, and I totally understand now. Those floppy flowers in pictures were the first flush and the upright ones are the second or third flush pushing the first flush aside. I just thought they were very floppy in general.

I have had numerous compliments on the sole bulb that is blooming now and no one around here has ever seen one. They all thought I had one bulb that was very confused!

I ordered C bivonae, davisii and graecum from Odyssey Bulbs this year. Graecum and davisii are already blooming within 2 weeks of planting them. Russ from Odyssey said these might come back in my climate.

Socalgal, please keep us updated on them. I'm in your zone and would love to buy some if they do well for you. My Sternburg Luetia ( spelled wrong I'm sure) ARE coming up again now. This has been 7 years! I'm very pleased about it. It's not often that these kinds of bulbs return for me. Lisa

Update on Sternbergia lutea in Southern California, zone 10a

My yellow fall crocus are blooming! I'm so pleased that they have returned again in my warm climate. They are planted in bright shade, under a clematis vine.

Those look great. I bought Sternbergia lutea in 2009. They have come back every year and multiplied. They are slow to bloom after dividing/moving. Haven't seen them yet this year, they usually bloom for me in October.

Yes, mine are October blooming too, and I also have noticed it takes perhaps 2 years off from blooming to move them.

Mine is JUST Pushing Up a Flower.........

I Have Him in a Pot in The Window and Will Go in Either Mine or Mum's Garden When Done......

Colchicum bivonae Giona

It is pretty, but looks a bit lonely there...maybe it needs a ground cover ;)

Wow, that is so beautiful. Love its clear bright pink color. I have to add this next year. Thanks for sharing.

Shocking...my sternbergias started today. I wasn't expecting them till sometime in October. I blame cool periods in August. I've had these for perhaps fiveteen years (and moves through three houses). I love them.

Such a nice yellow.

I really like all of your bright yellow blooms of Sternbergia lutea and would like to add these to my garden. Will these be hardy for my zone 6? Where do you buy these bulbs?

Here are some more blooming colchicums.

Alba

Lilac Wonder - beginning to pop up

Large pink NOID

Zone 6 may be too cold for Sternbergia. Some websites say it is ok, some don't. You can buy them at Brent and Becky's, McClure and Zimmerman, White Flower Farm. Your colchicum are beautiful! I hope mine survive and multiply like that.

Love the large NOID

I believe in a sunny well-drained spot (particularly against a stone or brick wall), it would be fine throughout zone 6. I've lived with mine in the upper edge of Z7 and it's been quite happy for at least ten years.

Thanks Dbarron and socalgal. I will give them a try in a sheltered location. Do you know if they will do well in a pot??

Having never grown them in a pot...no, I don't know. However, a general rule is things always do better in the ground than a pot.

Thanks dbarron. I will look for these bulbs next year.

Have some new colchicums to share.

Lilac Wonder

Got these from a trade 3 years ago. They have done well and multiplied.

Very pretty!

Beautiful

Karen the sternbergia put up foliage in the fall when they bloom so that will be the problem. The leaves just can't handle the ups and downs of winter.

Your colchicum are fantastic, the color and white centers are really nice! -they're not Lilac Wonder though. LW has just a tiny white center and the petals are longer and floppier. Maybe 'The Giant'? The white center and slight checkering of the flower look like it.

I was inspired by this post to divide some more clumps and put them out in my (very small) meadow. These were planted last year.

Thanks, Katob. I think that you are correct. My Lilac Wonder look more like the Giant variety with its large white center. THe flowers are huge, pink, and they do not flop. That's why I have been puzzled about its name because the flowers color doesn't look anywhere near lilac.Are the ones in your pic Lilac Wonder?

Yes they're lilac wonder, or I think they are.... It's a mix of bulbs bought as lilac wonder and others bought as something else, but they all bloom and look the same so I think they are all one type. They grow and bloom so well, I think it's my favorite colchicum.

if you're ever interested in trading let me know, your maybe-giant is nice and the one I have under that name isn't the real thing.

Yes, I am very interested in the trade. Do you want to trade for them next summer when the bulbs go dormant? I think I may have 4 nice bulbs to trade.

Here is the next group of colchicums to bloom, the double form.

Waterlily

White double, Colchicum autumnale Alboplenum, just starting to open. So excited about this one because the bulbs did not bloom last year. I thought they were dead. I was relieved that the foliage came this past spring.

This white single is really nice. It blooms for a long time.

They look very nice Karen, you have a real talent for growing these well! Waterlily has a cool look to it, so unusual and full.

I also find that the single ones do better in full sun than partial shade. They tend to flop in the shade. But the double types actually do better in partial shade because they are much shorter than the single ones. By having them in partial shade, they grow longer stems which show off their flowers better.

I'm loving all the pictures!

Careful...I almost weakened and caved over those pics of single whites...

I transplanted these three or four days ago to expand the lawn plantings, they have only gotten better since the move even though I did no soil prep and didn't even bother watering.

Here's a picture of my first colchicum plantings, the bed is bare because this part of the yard dries out so much in the summer the weeds won't even grow :)

Here's a closeup of a lilac wonder clump. It's huge this year and I'm going to guess there are at least 30 individual flowers. The only reason it's here is that it was a stray bulb too small to plant out and I figured I'd give it a few years to plump up :)

Hi
Anybody Here Grow Colchicum The Giant?
Just Bought a Bulb Today
Thanks

Katob, beautiful, I saw this thread pinged and thought you had JUST posted it (not last year). I am expecting three new varieties of colchicum to arrive next week from Brent and Becky's. Also several more fall crocus.

I planted several varieties of Colchicum including the Giant more than 20 years ago. Currently only the Giant, Water Lily and Lilac wonder remain.

Three years ago I received several additional Lilac Wonder bulbs from trade. These bulbs have not grown for me.

Last year I planted additional Water Lily from B&B. I did not see many of them this spring. So, sigh,....another dud for me.

This morning I saw the Giant pushing through already. I am happy with that.

I have one of my cochlium pushing through today. I have several types planted, none of the giant. If they all come back, more in the future!

None are blooming for me at this moment. I think they come after posierosie's.

:) I found this one under the sumac, the season is just starting here.

Beautiful Katob! So nice to have things like this to carry us into Fall.

I realise that colchicums have many fans (of which I am not one) but I find cyclamen and autumn crocus fit the bill rather better than the inevitably collapsed and sodden colchies which appear in autumn gardens everywhere. And those unwelcome, overlarge leaves all spring (shudder). Horses for courses.

They are not in Autumn gardens everywhere where I am. In fact, I only know one person in my neighborhood who has them and she had no idea. I also don't see any autumn crocus or cyclamen.

I agree the spent flowers on the ground are not attractive- I deadheaded last year and plan to do so this year as well. Probably with a large amount, that wouldn't be practical, though.

The leaves this Spring would have been fine except for the slugs. Not the fault of the leaves - I don't bait for them as I prefer to limit chemical usage.

I wish Fall bulbs were more ubiquitous here.

I have no issue with the leaves, they're not large enough to cause me distress (not like a hosta at least) :)

And yes, they're not common over here at all (in my opinion). Of course I have everything (lol)...or as much as I can.

The ones I planted in grass do look out of place in the early spring when big clumps of foliage rise up before the grass. Eventually the grass catches up though so it's less distracting.

I noticed a few more blooming today and I'm quite pleased!

They are (clearly) long lived and flourish in the temperate UK climate so yes, they are astonishingly common here - almost every garden I have worked in has a clump or 2 stowed away. However, I also have to say that nearly all of them are stashed in a shady, often damp area...and planted very meanly (just 1 or 2 bulbs). When I see a thriving naturalised colony, upright in open grass, I could be persuaded to enjoy them but sadly, it is a rare occurrence to see one which is not squished on its side in sodden soil under a shrub (where cyclamen really do emerge victorious).

I agree, PosieRosie, autumn bulbs are often overlooked. I have only really started growing them since acquiring more space...and the often rank, vigour of an English September/October seems to call for rampant sturdy perennials rather than dainty bulbs...and in sun, I for sure have been still engrossed in the summer delights of dahlia, salvias, hesperanthus, alstroemeria...with a complete reluctance to admit tasteful pastels.

Trying to get to grips with my quite visceral dislike of colchies - not wanting to offend growers who love them.

I like your perspective - it adds depth Camps! I held off on planting them because pictures of them would include all the spent blooms lying on the ground and I thought they were floppy and untidy. Then, I planted my own and realized that they bloom in flushes and the fresh blooms are perfect upright so I have decided I like them - with attentive deadheading. ;)

There is a tendency to dislike what is abundant and often neglected by the next generation. Most plants need a bit of attention and the right setting.