How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Crocuses
Crocuses do best in a spot that gets full sun (6+ hours of direct sunlight), but will grow in partial sun as well. Choose a planting site where there is well-draining soil; the corms will rot in soggy, compacted ground. Before planting, work in organic matter such as compost to a depth of at least 10 inches.
When to Plant Crocuses
- Crocuses need to experience an extended period of cold weather in order to bloom, so plant them in the fall to get spring blooms.
- Before the ground freezes in the fall, crocus corms can be planted most anywhere, except in the dense shade on the north side of buildings or under thickets.
- Ideally, plant crocus corms 6 to 8 weeks before a hard frost is expected in the fall and when the soil temperature is below 60°F (16°C). This is usually during September or October in the northern U.S. and Canada, and October or November in the southern United States.
How to Plant Crocuses
- Plant crocus corms 3 to 4 inches deep (with the pointy end up). After planting, water well.
- Plant bulbs in groups or clusters rather than spacing them in a single line along a walkway or border. Single flowers get lost in the landscape. Plant a few inches apart, and plant in groups of 10 or more.
- Consider planting crocuses in lawns and meadows where they can form carpets, or mass them in the front of flower beds along the edge.
- Plant taller spring-flowering bulbs and shrubs behind the early bulbs for color contrast.
→ Learn more about planting fall bulbs.
A carpet of crocuses makes for a wonderful spring sight!
- ‘Bowles White’ produces white flowers with deep golden yellow throats in early spring. It grows 2 to 3 inches tall.
- ’Flower Record’ has single pale violet flowers in spring to early summer. It grows 4 to 5 inches tall.
- ’Pickwick’ is a striped crocus with alternating pale and dark lilac and dark purple bases. It’s 4 to 5 inches tall and blooms in spring to early summer.
- ’Tricolor Crocus’ is a beauty. Each narrow flower has three distinct bands of lilac, white, and golden yellow. It grows 3 inches tall and blooms in late winter and early spring.
- ’Purpureus Grandiflorus’ has abundance violet flowers with purple bases. It grows 4 to 5 inches tall and blooms spring to early summer.
Crocuses peaking up through the snow.
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is there a creeping flower i can use to make a colorful lawn area and mix with crocus etc. ? Thamks
We know of no creeping plant that flowers with crocus. But periwinkle, aka myrtle, is a ground cover that keeps its foliage year round and produces blue flowers later in season.
If I naturalize crocus in my lawn can I still use lawn fertilizer and weed killers?
If you want the crocus in your lawn, then don’t use weed-killers. Here are some good tips on this topic!
I was given a pot of about 5 crocus in a pot.The friend who gave then said she had forgotten them in her car for about an hour (about -15 C weather..Feb Zone 4 Canada) and the it was not flowering yet.Some of the leaves look good.What should I do?
I missed planting in October/November, some 8b, can I plant them now? Will they bloom this year or would it be better to wait and plant this fall?
Hi I have planted them and had flowers last year but this year all i got is the green petals or whatever they are called. this also happened with my tulip. Please help?
Do/did you fertilize the area they were/are planted in? High nitrogen fertilizer encourages leaf production at the expense of all else. These bulbs need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Did/do they get it? Is the area dry? Bulbs need moisture (although not pools of it); failure to thrive could be due to poor drainage. There may be other factors but these are relatively common ones.
Hi,
I would like to give a more wild and natural look to my garden and plant crocuses amids the grass. Do you think I can do that with the cultivated bulbs? Will mowing affect the plants ( you mentioned that the bulbs need foliage to collect enough food for next year ). I do not plan to dig them up at all and leave them. My second question: if I grow summer flowers near the crocuses, will this affect them (I have no storage place and I cannot afford separate pots for different seasons). Thank you for the comprehensive advice.
Yes, you can plant crocuses in a grassy lawn for a more natural look. Crocuses are an early bloomer, and since the foliage only lasts a few weeks after the flowers fade, mowing shouldn’t be an issue.
As for your second question: Yes, you can grow other flowers near crocuses without problems. However, you may need to refresh the soil in the pots in the fall to remove any dead material and prevent overcrowding.
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