Meadow Saffron (Autumn Crocus, Fall Crocus, Mysteria, Wonder Bulb)
Colchicum autumnale (LILIACEAE)
Planting and Growing Meadow Saffron
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb) in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb)
- Season of bloom and planting time for meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb)
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb)
- When, how deep, and where to plant meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb)
- How to plant meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb)
- Watering, fertilizing, care and pests or diseases of meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb)
- Landscape and indoor uses of meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb)
- Comments about meadow saffron (Autumn crocus, fall crocus, mysteria, or wonder bulb) and its features
Growing Meadow Saffron
Autumn corm. Deciduous. Stands 4–12 in. (10–30 cm) tall. Straplike, midlength green leaves in spring after blooms.
Common cultivars include Colchicum autumnale ‘Alboplenum’, ‘Album’, ‘Plenum’, ‘Pleniflorum’, ‘The Giant’, and ‘Waterlily’.
Meadow Saffron Planting and Care Guide
Flowers
Late summer–early autumn. Purple, rose, white, yellow. Multiple flared, crocuslike, single- or double-petaled flowers, to 4 in. (10 cm) wide.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 4–9; ground hardy, zones 7–9.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained soil. Fertility: Average. 5.5–6.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Summer in full sun. Space 6–8 in. (15–20 cm) apart, 3–4 in. (75–100 mm) deep.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist autumn–spring. Fertilize during growth. Mulch, zones 4–5. Propagate by division, cormels in summer. Divide only when crowded.
Lifting and Storing
Dark, 40–50°F (4–10°C), in net bag or open basket of dry peat moss.
About This Species
Good choice for borders in woodland gardens. Naturalizes. Deer, rodent resistant.