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How to Plant and Grow Crocuses: Early Spring Color That Critters Leave Alone

Image Credit:
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Crocus
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
Toxicity
Toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Partial Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
Under 1 foot
Spread
Under 1 foot
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Winter
Flower Color
Blue
Orange
Pink
Purple
White
Yellow
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Disease-Resistant
Low Maintenance
Winter Interest
Attracts Pollinators
Deer-resistant
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Plant Type
Bulbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Just when winter seems determined to linger forever, crocuses prove it doesn’t stand a chance. These tiny but mighty spring bulbs push straight through snow and frozen soil to deliver a burst of color when your garden needs it most. 

Even better? Crocuses are largely ignored by deer, squirrels, and rabbits—making them one of the most rewarding low-maintenance blooms you can plant. From fragrant snow crocuses to bold Dutch varieties, here’s everything you need to know to plant, grow, and enjoy these early-spring showstoppers year after year.

From snow crocuses (the first to bloom) to giant Dutch crocuses, all just 2 to 4 inches tall, these blooms offer a variety of colors (blues, oranges, pinks, purples, reds, yellows, and more) that stand out against the bleak late-winter landscape. Many have strong perfumes that lure bees out of their hives in February or March, too, providing the pollinators with an important early-spring food source.

Crocuses not only provide winter garden color but also naturalize, meaning that they spread and come back year after year—with minimal care—for an ever-larger display. As a bonus, deer, squirrels, and rabbits rarely bother early little crocus corms.

Planting

Where to Plant 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.

Crocus field
A carpet of crocuses makes for a wonderful spring sight!

Growing

  • Apply a balanced fertilizer in early autumn if your spring is short and the days heat up fast; or apply fertilizer after bulbs flower in late winter if your spring is long and temperate. The crocuses will have a chance to use the extra nutrients to produce bigger carbohydrate stores.
  • Through the autumn, keep crocus beds watered if the weather gets dry, but do not waterlog the soil. Cover the beds with mulch before the winter.
  • In late February, remove heavy mulches from snowdrops and crocuses so that the shoots can come through. Leave a light layer of leaves to provide late-season protection from frost.
  • In February and March, keep plastic milk jugs or other coverings on hand to protect the flowers of crocuses and other early bloomers against the return of severe weather.
  • If you have crocuses growing in your lawn in mid-spring, don’t mow until their leaves have died down.

Pests and Problems

  • Mice, voles, and squirrels may feed on the corms. If they are a problem, consider planting crocuses in buried wire cages.
  • Birds sometimes pick off the flowers.
  • Corms in storage are prone to rot and molds if kept too moist.

Types

  • ‘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 an abundance violet flowers with purple bases. It grows 4 to 5 inches tall and blooms spring to early summer.
Crocuses in Snow
Crocuses peeking up through the snow.

Wit and Wisdom

And all the woods are alive with the murmur and sound of Spring,
And the rose-bud breaks into pink on the climbing briar,
And the crocus-bed is a quivering moon of fire
Girdled round with the belt of an amethyst ring.
–Oscar Wilde

Bulbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening, so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Dusty88</span> Sun, 02/16/2014 - 10:03
I'm anxious to change my lawn for this year. We are in the middle of a cold winter with loads of snow, but expecting some 50-degree weather in a few days. Can I plant crocuses during that warming period and expect them to survive? I don't mind if many of them don't bloom this spring, but wondering if they are likely to survive through next year if planted in early spring?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 02/18/2014 - 08:31

We love the idea of crocus, but spring-flowering bulbs must be planted in the fall as they chill.  Plant in November 3 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart.

 <span>Croc</span> Wed, 02/24/2016 - 22:46
I've planted all kinds of bulbs late in the season - even Feb! And they've come up and done fine.
<span>Nicole Auryn</span> Sun, 03/09/2014 - 11:17
I ended up buying some crocuses at a co-op and they are already blooming. I live in NY were its starting to warm up but it will still have some 20's-30's days ahead. Do I keep inside this spring and plant in the Fall? Or should I plant outside now since it's already in full bloom?
<span>Cathy Etheridge</span> Mon, 02/10/2014 - 12:56
Crocuses are the flower of St. Valentine.
<span>Rentia</span> Wed, 02/05/2014 - 08:35
Can the crocus grow 100% in south Africa, Gauteng? My wedding is in mid-July 2014 and need them to be perfect like picture shown above. Please advise me if I should rather import them. Any suggestions will be highly appreciated. Thanx
<span>New Planter</span> Mon, 01/20/2014 - 07:34
I live in 8a, in Washington state. I am a new gardener, and I am even newer to the bulb concept. I bought some crocus bulbs in pots that I want to put in a freestanding planter box that I have. There are some other bulbs on our property that seem to do fine coming back every year on their own, but it does get really wet here, and sometimes it barely freezes in the winter. Is there anything different that I should do with my crocus bulbs in the planter box to keep them healthy other than watering and maybe mulching after the leaves die off?
<span>Huma</span> Mon, 11/04/2013 - 05:37
how long does it take the bulb to grow into a plant? it's my first time with bulb planting and i wonder when i'll see the little angels coming out of the soil.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 11/04/2013 - 15:39

It depends on the variety. The common spring-flowering crocus is planted in the fall and blooms very early in the spring. In fact, these babies flower through the last winter snows.

 <span>Huma</span> Tue, 11/05/2013 - 00:22
thanks for the help. i planted the bulbs in end september and was wondering whether i did something wrong as i don't see a plant till now. i live in the capital of pakistan and we have snow fall in the adjacent hilly areas but not in my city. thanks a lot again :)