PLANT SPOTLIGHT: The Crocus

The early blooms of the crocuses throughout Eastern Pennsylvania are beautiful!   These quick bloomers surprise many every year because of the timing.  They will “pop out” once the ground thaws and daily temperatures hit a constant temp for a few days in row.

 

Crocuses are the first true sign of spring in the Lehigh Valley.  The small stems begin to push out once the ground thaw’s out.  Once the stems appear it is only a matter of a few days until the eye catching blues and purples and the beautiful yellows, lavenders and whites being to show.

Crocus is an angiosperm from the iris family.  The crocus is a corm, which is similar to a bulb or tuber, where all of the plants energy gets stored in a fibrous sac underground.  The many species of crocus grow naturally in as cold of regions as the alpine tundra and as warm a climate as the Mediterranean coastal areas.  Only a few species grow naturally in North America, with the most notable being the Prairie Crocus.

Both spring blooming and fall blooming corms are readily available to purchase from distributors online. as well as local nurseries.  Be sure to add these one week wonders to your planting plan this year.

The crocus will pop out in Late march and early April so keep your eyes open around this time.  If you blink, you may miss them!