(Hybrid Crocus, Spring Crocus)

A welcome sight in late winter, this heirloom crocus opens its cheerful flowers while the last remnants of snow still linger. Introduced in the mid-twentieth century, it is one of many hybrids that trace their ancestry to Crocus chrysanthus and C. biflorus.

Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, this diminutive herbaceous perennial sends up one to four pale blue flowers in winter or early spring, just as the grassy, shiny, dark green leaves emerge....

(Hybrid Crocus, Spring Crocus)

Providing a welcome burst of color at winter's end, this crocus opens its cheerful flowers even as the last remnants of snow linger. Introduced in the early twentieth century, it is a hybrid of Crocus tommasinianus and the large "Dutch crocus" (C. vernus).

Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, this diminutive herbaceous perennial sends up one or two soft lilac flowers with silvery gray exteriors in winter or early spring, a week or two before...

(Vernal Crocus)

Providing a welcome splash of color at winter's end, this 1916 introduction is among the oldest of the many widely grown, large-flowered selections of the European native Crocus vernus. Like all other crocuses, it is a diminutive herbaceous perennial that grows from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm. In late winter or early spring, one or two large lilac-blue flowers with pale tips and dark bases arise on ankle-high, stalk-like floral tubes. The up-facing blooms have six "petals"...

(Hybrid Crocus, Spring Crocus)

A welcome sight in late winter, this heirloom crocus opens its cheerful flowers while the last remnants of snow still linger. Introduced in the mid-twentieth century, it is one of many hybrids that trace their ancestry to Crocus chrysanthus and C. biflorus.

Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, this diminutive herbaceous perennial sends up one to four white flowers in winter or early spring, just as the grassy, shiny, dark green leaves emerge....

(Spring Crocus)

Opening its bright sunny flowers during some of the dullest and coldest days of the year, this crocus from central Turkey has been a welcome sight in gardens since its introduction to horticulture in the late nineteenth century.

Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, this diminutive herbaceous perennial sends up one or two glowing orange-yellow flowers in late winter or early spring, just as the grassy, gray-green leaves emerge. Held on short, erect, stalk-like floral tubes,...

(Hybrid Crocus, Spring Crocus)

One of many crocuses that blooms in the fall, this hybrid of Crocus pulchellus and C. speciosus is an excellent choice for bringing color to the late-season garden. Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, this diminutive herbaceous perennial sends up one or two pale pearly gray-blue flowers with mid-blue veins from early to mid-autumn. Held singly atop ankle-high, stalk-like floral tubes, the fragrant, up-facing, goblet-shaped blooms have six "petals"...

(Golden Bunch Crocus, Spring Crocus)

Opening its bright sunny flowers during some of the dullest and coldest days of the year, Crocus ancyrensis has been a welcome sight in gardens since its introduction to horticulture from central Turkey in the late nineteenth century. It is usually cultivated in the form of 'Golden Bunch,' which produces up to five flowers rather than the typical one or two.

Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, this diminutive herbaceous perennial sends up glowing orange-yellow...

(Cartwright's Fall Crocus, White Wild Saffron, Wild Saffron)

A close cousin and presumed parent of saffron crocus, Crocus cartwrightianus is a diminutive herbaceous perennial from Greece and neighboring Mediterranean islands. Albino forms – including the pure white 'Albus' – are common in the wild. Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, 'Albus' sends up one to five fragrant flowers from early to mid-autumn, just as the grassy, gray-green leaves emerge. Held on upright, stalk-like, ankle-high floral tubes, the goblet-shaped flowers...

(Sieber's Crocus, Snow Crocus)

Opening its winsome blooms with the first hints of spring, 'Albus' originated in about 1920 in the garden of renowned plantsman E. A. Bowles (whence its synonym, 'Bowles' White'). It is a cultivar of Crocus sieberi, a variable species from southeastern Europe and Crete.

Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, this diminutive herbaceous perennial sends up one to three snowy white flowers in winter or early spring, just as the grass-like green leaves appear. Borne...

(Yellow Spring Crocus)

Opening its bright sunny flowers during some of the dullest and coldest days of the year, this variable crocus from Turkey and southeastern Europe is best known by its large-flowered hybrid, 'Dutch Yellow.' Numerous other selections and hybrids of Crocus flavus have been introduced since it entered gardens more than 400 years ago. Most of these are now lost.

Growing from a small bulb-like storage organ known as a corm, this diminutive herbaceous perennial sends up one to four fragrant,...