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mybrownthumbz6

Naturalizing Crocus 'Ruby Giant'

9 years ago

I purchased some 'Ruby Giant' to naturalize in my lawn. I read once, after planting, that this crocus has a tendancy to clump, rather than seed far and wide. What is your experience with this?

Comments (10)

  • 9 years ago

    Thanks. I think I would be pleased with however it decided to naturalize. I just like to know what to expect.

  • 9 years ago

    Your photos get me excited to see what spring will bring.

  • 9 years ago

    Why the squirrels don't like it...is because it's crocus tommasinianus, versus crocus vernus and flavus (which are the other of the typical crocuses offered). They're apparently much more squirrel tasty :)

    There's a lot of other crocus species also...but I don't know how squirrel palatable they are, because they're less planted and less known. I have grown many others, some successfully, some less so (don't ask me about saffron crocus).

  • 9 years ago

    I know. The question still is: why??? I am almost tempted to try a bite of both. Almost... Interestingly, C. tommasianus is not mentioned as eaten by people in this interesting article:

    http://www.arthurleej.com/p-o-m-Feb13.html

    Maybe the squirrels are on to something ;-). Anyway, it is another reason to like Tommies.

  • 9 years ago

    Yep, I planted several flavors of tommies and other species crocus this fall. I don't believe any have been squirrelled (but I don't know yet for sure), and I have a very active squirrel population. I think crocus is edible (technically).

  • 9 years ago

    The squirrel resistance was a major reason I went with a tommasinianus. Resesrch pays off. *fist pump*

  • 9 years ago

    I have Ruby Giant. Mine spreads like like it does for your first responder. Even though the name clearly states "Giant" I was still surprised at how big this is, though. I am not sure how it would look in a lawn. Species crocus might look more "natural" in a lawn.


    When I plant crocus (not the tommasiniasus varieties) I have to cover it with wire mesh pinned to the ground. This could still be done in the grass, though it might look more odd than it does in the garden. I pull up the mesh in very early spring and store away for the following year. The squirrels forget within a few weeks after planting, or maybe the scent that attracts them fades. I can tell they forget or give up, because tunneling from the sides stops. But I still play it safe and leave the mesh til the shoots just start emerging.

    mybrownthumbz6 thanked linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
  • 9 years ago

    I hope I made a good choice. The location I planted is in the yard, but not in an area where grass will grow. In the spring an summer, it is shaded so heavily by a tree that grass only grows very sparsely. I hope it looks good in a few months...and for years to come. I thought I had done enough research, but only learned about it's tendency to form dense clumps after I planted 120 of them. I scattered them for a naturalized look, so it might be as I imagined this spring. If the squirrels leave them alone it might just look like a sizeable patch of dense crocus in the years to come. I'm not sure if that will look alright or weird. Time will tell.

  • 9 years ago

    If you scattered them, it should be looking great in the years to come. It will be an area with meandering patches of crocus, like in my pictures. If it gets too dense for your liking, just dig up some blooming clumps and plant them somewhere else. That treatment won't faze them at all. They are tough.

    mybrownthumbz6 thanked gdinieontarioz5
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