Crocus minimus ‘Spring Beauty’

Crocus minimus ‘Spring Beauty’ is incredibly ravishing with its pale lilac petals flamed dark plum on the outside, a paler lavender-purple on the inside contrasting pale yellow anthers. The flowers are quite small, but they are produced in such profusion that they make up for their small stature. Its grass-like foliage features narrow, dark green leaves with a very thin central silver stripe.

• Blooming occurs in early to mid-spring. The calyx-shaped flowers open only when the sun shines or when there is a lot of light; they close up in rainy weather and at night. Did you know that crocus bulbs remaining in the ground will always bloom a bit earlier than the ones planted the previous year?
• Growing up to 3 inches tall (7 cm), this beauty naturalizes easily and will come back year after year!
• Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun or light shade.
• Stunning in beds, lawns, under trees, rock gardens, in front of shrubs, and along walkways. Spectacular in large sweeping drifts. For optimal effect, 100 to 150 corms should be planted. If used in lawns, however, the grass may not be mowed until six weeks after the crocuses have bloomed. If mowed earlier than this, the newly forming cormlets (developing on top of the mother corm) will not become large enough to flower next year.
• To be planted in fall.

Very few early-flowering bulbous, tuberous, and cormous plants are so massively planted as the Crocus. Together with tulips, hyacinths, and narcissi, these plants are the most commonly found ‘bulb’ plants in gardens and parks. More than 100 species are known, but only thirty have been cultivated. Some crocuses flower in the fall, but these are fairly rare. Crocuses are lovely in lawns as well as in the perennial border where they join the other very early perennials in ringing in the flowering season.