Colchicums seen in flower August-September 2024 at Beth Chatto Garden and RHS Garden Wisley

This post is dedicated to the genus Colchicum, which I first came across in the woodland garden at Beth Chatto’s Garden in 2024.  These were in flower right at the end of August and being in the Woodland Garden, were in fairly heavy shade except for when the deciduous plants were shedding or had shed their leaves.  They were planted amongst ground cover, most obviously including a creeping ivy.

A good two weeks later in mid-September, I found the plants lavishly planted at RHS Garden Wisley, predominantly placed in the mulch circles of trees in and around the area encircled by the Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden, Bowles Corner and Bonsai Walk, also in tree circles within the lawn of Seven Acres, and the space between the Fern Glade, Glasshouse and Oakwood.  They could also be found in smaller numbers in the Rock Garden, in this case planted in some of the terraces, but not under trees.

They are quite expensive to buy, so I think a plant that one might select on a one-cultivar-per-year basis and buy a few corms incrementally over time.  Alternatively, the RHS actually recommend to grow them from seed, which will be much cheaper and if you have the space, very satisfying.

Colchicums develop into corms, which are defined as compressed underground shoots in which the stem is swollen with starch (to anyone that isn’t a botanist, they look like bulbs, but differ in structure and function).  The genus name Colchicum is derived from the Ancient Greek, Colchis, which was the name by which Ancient Greek speakers knew the Georgian polity of Egrisi, an area now delineated by the Black Sea coastal region of Georgia.  The plants abound from this region, but are also native in the Mediterranean and Africa, and thus benefit from a sunny position with well-drained soil.  It’s advised to plant them in late Summer, but since they can flower as early as late August, I would plant them between June and mid-July at the latest (If planting corms, but seeds can be sown much earlier).  There are many species and cultivars to choose from, so these are definitely a candidate for collecting.  Common names for Colchicums include Bare Naked Ladies and Autumn Crocus, but they should not be confused with Autumn flowering members of the Crocus genus, which look similar, but are taxonomically distinct, with species including for example Crocus kotschyanus, Crocus speciosus 'Albus' and Crocus banaticus.

For a short RHS produced video on Colchicums, see here.

For a book dedicated to Colchicum species and cultivars, see here.

For a resource on Autumn flowering Crocuses (i.e. not Colchicums), see here.