Colchicum flowers in the garden plot

In the late autumn on the empty flowerbeds of gardeners there appear delicate flowers that look like crocuses. This is Colchicum, or colchicum. They belong to the family of the timeless ones. There are more than seventy species.

Colchicum: where they grow and how they look

They grow in Europe, Asia, North Africa. Look how beautiful the flowers are! The photo shows their charm. The height of the plant can exceed twenty centimeters. In the spring, the first appear large leaves. Then, in the summer, the seeds ripen. The leaves wither, and in the fall the flowers blossom. They have the shape of a funnel or a glass, they attract bright colors: blue, yellow, purple, white, tender-purple. Virtually all parts of the plant are poisonous, contain alkaloids, so when working with it you must be careful, be sure to wear gloves. Poisoned even the water in which stood the cut plants.

Features of breeding

As a rule, colchicum - flowers that bloom in the fall, before falling out of the snow. But there are also varieties that blossom in the spring. They are very unpretentious. They can be planted in a flower-bed, well lit by the sun, next to tall perennial flowers and ornamental herbs. Very good they will be in the rock garden, near the bushes, under the trees. Decorate the territory of the villa site with charming islands on the lawns.

Well-timed flowers are suitable for cutting - they can stand for a very long time in a vase of water. Of the plant species, the most popular and well-known among gardeners, we can mention the celibers of Bieberstein, Agrippa, Bournemuller. And also Autumn, Cilicia and others.

The land for planting cormorants should be loose, moderately moist, light, loamy, saturated with nutrients. Plant them to a depth of 7 to 10 centimeters (this depends on the size of the planting material). Flowers should be placed in such a way that between them was a distance of ten to fifteen centimeters. It is caused by the fact that the flowers of the cloudless from the rain can lie down, lose decorativeness.

For plants that blossom in autumn, the optimal time to land in the open ground is August. In one place flowers can grow quite a long time, up to six years. Watering should be carried out as necessary. For wintering, colchicum flowers require additional preparations. Plants mulch with peat, humus. Also, fallen leaves and spruce branches are suitable. In July or August, when the leaves turn yellow, they are excavated. Formed daughter corms are separated from the mother and dried. They are stored, like tulips, in a cool place. As breeding, multiplication of flowers by seeds is used. But in this case they develop longer and start to bloom only on the 5th or 6th year.

Protection against pests

Needless flowers are in time to protect against diseases and pests. Most often they are affected by slugs. To protect plants, we must regularly weed the flower beds from weeds, loosen the soil. Pour superphosphate over the earth.

If in your garden these wonderful flowers will settle, you can enjoy their delicate spring beauty until the first frosts.