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Image: Colchicum Atrobens
Colchicum blooms appear in the autumn but their foliage does not emerge until spring. It is this lack of leaf that accounts for one of their common names, naked ladies.
Another more widely used common name is autumn crocus, which has led to some confusion. Although colchicums look like crocuses, they are actually members of the lily family and not the iris, which the crocus belongs to; colchicums have six stamen, the crocus has three.
Colchicums are perhaps best known for their ability to grow in shade. One of the best varieties for brightening the dark ground under trees is C. speciosum 'Album'. Although white colchicums are extremely handsome, by far the greatest choice of varieties is available in shades of pink.
C. agrippinum is one of the most distinctive. Overlaying its pale pink petals is a deeper chequering, like the pattern found on the nodding snake's head fritillaries, Fritillaria meleagris . The blooms have a less pronounced goblet shape and tend to open into stars, making it a plant for a prominent position where its subtle charm can easily be admired. C. speciosum 'Atrorubens':whose intense pink petal colour seeps down into the sturdy flower stems, is especially effective grown as a clump, nestling near the ghostly white stem of a silver birch. C. 'E A Bowles': is a similar variety, with slightly larger cups, named after the great plantsman and authority on colchicums who lived early last century. C. 'Waterlily': Perhaps the most common of all colchicums is whose double pink blooms wouldn't look out of place floating on a pond. Raised almost a hundred years ago in a Dutch nursery, this variety has proved free-flowering and immensely easy to grow. Unfortunately the extra weight of the flowers causes them to trail on the ground where they become mud-splashed after any heavy autumn rain. This happens with all of the colchicums as they fade, but less quickly with the singles. C. autumnale : A white, double form also exists, but is very slow to increase and as a result is difficult to find outside the specialist catalogues.
Large flowers
C. 'Attlee': The single-flowered variety is really worth snapping up. Its rosy-pink blooms have a large white centre that creeps up the inside of the petals. C. ' The Giant': has huge lilac-pink cups on sturdy stems and multiplies quickly when planted in rich soil. C. giganteum: The wild species, is aptly named on account of its large flower size. It has long, elegant petals which are suffused with a soft rose hue and look great with purple sage.
Grow deeper coloured varieties, such as C. 'Violet Queen', which is saturated with rich violet-purple, with light or silver leaves. Low-growing Artemisia alba 'Canescens', with its finely dissected leaves, or the emerging pewter-veined foliage of Cyclamen hederifolium make ideal partners.
Try planting them with woodlanders such as Anemone nemorosa and lacy ferns. These offer a spring display, but they don't obscure the flowers in the autumn.
Plant corms in groups of three, about 10cm to 15cm (4in to 6in) deep in a well-drained soil that is liberally enriched with compost.
The corms may flower the following spring instead of the same autumn, but as soon as they feel the damp soil around their base they will produce a throng of white roots and large, lush green leaves.
These let you know that the corms are still alive and well. Never be tempted to cut leaves off in late spring. The corms rely on this time to make enough energy to flower in the autumn.
Once established, each corm will then increase yearly, a bit like a daffodil bulb. When clumps begin to look a bit too congested the plants can be divided. This is best done at flowering time, or just afterwards if you don't want to risk damaging the blooms.
If you want to create a drift of colour without buying too many plants, C. autumnale is ideal, as it increases quickly. Just a handful of corms planted beneath a large shrub will increase fourfold in just a few years.
C. autumnale is easy to find in most garden centres during the autumn months, but the range of other varieties is often disappointing.
It is worth ordering your bulbs from a specialist bulb nursery if you would like to buy any of the choicer forms.
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