Colchicum (Colchicum), Colchicum, Autumn - one of the most famous bulbous flowers that blooms in autumn period, which do not cause much trouble to its owners. Native to Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia, these bulbous plants are prized for their stunning goblet-shaped flowers in various shades of purple and pink that are a delight to look at each year and are easy to care for.

Some of them bloom in the spring, others in the fall. During flowering, only colchicum flowers are visible, which resemble crocus flowers, only much larger. Colchicums have been known to people since ancient times. According to ancient Greek legend, the flower grew from drops of the blood of Prometheus. Another legend tells of the miraculous reunion of a mother goddess and daughter thanks to the Autumn. In Rus' they called it “autumn girls”, “winter people”, and the British called it “naked lady”.

Description of the plant Colchicum or Colchicum

Perennial beautiful plant from the Colchicum family. It is an ephemeroid - perennial herbaceous plants with a very short growing season. The stem is erect, bare, low, 10-30 cm long, depending on the species.

The root is oblong-oval in shape, covered with a brownish-brown leathery shell. Large bright green oblong-lanceolate leaves 25-30 cm long appear in early spring, simultaneously with the fruits. They look like lily of the valley or wild garlic leaves. During the growing season, they must feed the bulb with nutrients.

The flowers are solitary, large, bell-shaped, funnel-shaped, with pointed or rounded petals that remain half-closed or completely open, displaying brightly colored stamens. Color ranges from white to pink-lilac and purple. Colchicums bloom in late summer or autumn for about 2 weeks. Bees and flies pollinate flowers at this time. After flowering, next spring the fruit appears - a three-locular elliptical capsule. When the fruits ripen, the leaves die off (May-June).

On the territory of Russia in natural conditions distributed in the Caucasus and Krasnodar Territory; in culture - in areas with a temperate climate.

Growing colchicum: choosing a location and care rules

Autumn is surprisingly unpretentious to conditions. Prefers moist and oily soil. Without transplantation it can grow for 5-6 years. If it stops blooming, this means that too many young daughter bulbs have formed in the nest and the plant should be replanted. It is usually placed in a sunny or shaded place. An ideal place for planting is under garden trees.

In spring, colchicum leaves appear at a time when trees do not provide much shade. The sun is enough for him. And with further opening of the leaves on the trees, the foliage no longer needs a lot of light, because By this time it is already beginning to fade. The soil for planting should be light, loose, and moderately nutritious. Almost no watering is required. In the spring, when the leaves are developing, there is still enough spring moisture. In summer the plant sleeps. In autumn, in the absence of rain, water carefully, trying not to wet the flowers - once they get wet, they quickly lose their shape.

Feeding and watering colchicum

Feed in spring when leaves appear nitrogen fertilizers- this helps to form large and strong leaves, which in turn will allow the bulb to be saturated with useful substances and accumulate strength for future flowering, and in the fall after flowering - with complex fertilizer or sprinkled with organic matter, followed by loosening.

Don't water in spring. The soil is quite moist after the snow melts. By the beginning of summer, the growing season of the crocus ends - the plant falls asleep. He does not need moisture at this time. When flowering, if there has been no rain, water once a week.

Planting and caring for colchicum

In general, the flower reproduces by dividing nests or by seeds. All work should be carried out with gloves - the plant is poisonous, touching it can cause skin burns.

The most productive way is propagation by young bulbs

When to plant colchicum?

Colchicums, blooming in spring, planted in early autumn, blooming in autumn - in August in an open sunny place protected from the wind. The soil for planting is prepared in advance - 6 liters of humus and 100 grams of superphosphate per 1 sq. m are added. They are planted at a distance of 20 -30 cm from each other, after which the soil is moistened and mulched.

How to replant colchicum, look at the video:

If your autumn plant has been growing for a long time, in the middle of summer you can disturb the planting site and carefully dig up the overgrown bushes. By this time, the old bulb usually dies.

• Once the plant has completely wilted, dig the bulbs out of the ground, being careful not to cut them with a shovel.
• Dry for several weeks in a dark, dry place. Then clean them of dead leaves and roots.
• In August, separate the new corms from the main ones and soak for 5 minutes. in a solution of hydrogen peroxide (2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water), dry slightly and plant in the ground in a previously prepared place at a distance of 20 cm from each other.
• When digging, phosphorus fertilizer and humus are added to the intended planting site.
• Plant, deepening down 3 bulb diameters. After filling with soil, water the planting site well and mulch thoroughly, preventing the formation of a crust on the soil. At early boarding plants from large bulbs may bloom as early as this fall.

Growing Colchicum from Seeds

The seed propagation method is quite labor-intensive:

• Flowers grown from seeds will bloom with proper care no earlier than after 6 years.
• Rare spring-flowering species are propagated by seeds. They are sown immediately after harvest because they quickly lose their germination capacity.
• Pre-soaking in water or epin solution is required.
• Seeds purchased in a store must be stratified (you should keep them in the refrigerator for several days, or in a damp cloth).
• The seedlings will not all appear at the same time in the spring; some will take more than one year to germinate.

Care comes down to loosening and weeding. All that remains is to take care and wait for the bulbs to grow. Flowering occurs after 6-7 years.

Pests and diseases of colchicum

The plant has all the parts, so pests avoid it. During periods of heavy, prolonged rain, it can be affected by slugs. To avoid this, sprinkle the ground around with ash and loosen it. Remove weeds promptly. When planting, avoid places with stagnant moisture.

Useful properties of colchicum

Used successfully in treatment various diseases. It is strictly forbidden to treat yourself, as it is extremely poisonous. For medicines, corms are used, on the basis of which ointments, tablets, tinctures, and rubs are made. They are used in the treatment of cancer, urolithiasis, as a local anesthetic for rheumatism and gout.

Types of colchicum with photos and descriptions

Colchicum autumnale var. minus/autumnale var. minor

It grows in wet meadows and clearings in warm regions of Europe, and is most common in cultivation among amateur flower growers. A rosette of leaves appears in early spring after the snow melts, simultaneously with the fruits. Plant height is 35-40 cm. The lower internodes of the stems form a corm, covered with leathery scales, on which there is a renewal bud. The old corm, exhausted by flowering, decomposes.

As the daughter bulb grows, the leaves give it nutrition and gradually die off. Colchicum goes dormant until autumn. They wake up with the beginning of autumn, releasing pink-lilac bell-shaped flowers 7 cm in diameter, 1-4 from one bulb. After a short period of time, fruit and seeds develop underground, which will appear only next spring.
There are many decorative forms:

• variety ‘Roseum Plenum’ is distinguished by double flowers;
• snowy-whitish with a cluster of large flowers;
• double form very late blooming with purple flowers 5 cm in diameter and huge
  number of petals, flowering can continue after snow falls;
• white densely double form, the flowers of which are similar to dahlia inflorescences;
• atropurpureum with purple or dark red flowers;

Colchicum Bornmuelleri Colchicum bornmuelleri flower photo

The homeland of this species is the mountains of Asia Minor, Iran. Looks like a miniature lily. The leaves are about 35 cm long. It blooms in autumn with lavender flowers with a light inner spot. Blooms from late September until frost. Loves well-lit places.

Colchicum Byzantine Colchicum buzantinum/autumnale var.majus/autumnale var.major

Grows in warm temperate zones of the Mediterranean and southern Europe. The flowers are lilac-pink, wide oval, slightly larger than those of the autumn one. A very large corm, 7 cm in diameter, of irregular shape, forms a bouquet of 10-12 buds. Leaves are folded-lanceolate, up to 30 cm long. Flowering from August until frost.

Colchicum splendid Colchicum speciosum

The most beloved of all. In spring it produces leaves up to 50 cm high. It blooms in autumn and is the ancestor of modern varieties. Flowers are single or in inflorescences of 1-3 pcs. large in size with a long white tube and a cold lilac color of the corolla up to 15 cm in diameter.

• Turkish form with purple goblet flowers;
• hellebore form with folded leaves and huge purple flowers;
• variety ‘Premier’ with pink flowers very late flowering;
• variety ‘Huxiey’ with large leaves and flowers that change color;
• variety ‘Waterlily’ with charming double flowers of lilac tones;
• variety ‘Atrorubens’ with lilac-watercolor petals blurred to white;

Colchicum Agrippinum Colchicum agrippinum

It is pink with purple streaks or spots. Characterized by tall leaves wavy-edged, pink-purple flowers with a whitish tube with charming touches of orange-red at the base of each stamen, blooming in late summer. It differs from others in its unusual checkerboard spots on the petals.

Colchicum variegatum

Similar to Colchicum Agrippa. Its flowers are lilac with dark pink veins.

Colchicum cilicicum

Colchicum Cilician Colchicum cilicicum Dammer flower photo

Height is about 60 cm. At the time of flowering, one bulb produces 15-25 lilac-pink flowers with a white tubular core. It blooms in late autumn, when the first frosts begin. Distributed under natural conditions in Turkey.

Colchicum luteum

It is found on fine-earth and rocky slopes near melting glaciers, in the meadows of Kazakhstan, and in the Western Tien Shan. It blooms from the moment the snow melts until the beginning of June. The corm is oblong up to 33 cm long and 2.5 cm wide and has brown covering scales. A shortened stem with ribbon-like leaves emerging from the ground at the beginning of flowering.

Single flowers up to 10 cm high with narrow linear golden-yellow tepals fused at the bottom into a long tube violet shade. The fruit is a capsule with three nests filled with seeds. Propagated by seeds. Resistant to frost. Very rare plant– listed in the Red Book. Some have successfully taken root in gardeners' flower beds.

Colchicum Regelii or Kesselring Colchicum regelii, Colchicum kesselringii

Homeland - foothills and mountains of Central Asia. Amazing in beauty and miniature. Up to 10 cm high with white flowers that bloom in April. Perianths with a purple stripe. Leaves appear after flowering begins. Varieties have been developed with cream flowers and a characteristic purple stripe on the outside of the petal.

Colchicum hungaricum

Colchicum hungaricum photo

Found recently in the mountains of Croatia. It differs from its fellows by its expressive black stamens. Prefers placement in open sun. It is successfully bred and selected in culture in Latvia.

Colchicum triphyllum

Found in Moldova, Crimea, Bulgaria, Romania. Up to 15 cm in height. Up to 6 medium-sized pink-lilac flowers bloom from one corm. It is recommended to be placed on alpine slides.

Colchicum Sovich Colchicum szovitsii

Colchicum Sovich Colchicum szovitsii flower photo

Grows in wet alpine meadows. Blooms in spring with white and pink flowers. Unpretentious and hardy, despite its pampered appearance. Grows successfully in bright sunlight and does not require shading.

Colchicum bifolium

Unusually delicate and fragile flowers grow on the slopes of the Armenian mountains near the melting snow. Pink and purple tones of flower color predominate, the shape and color of which are highly variable. Not afraid of the first night frosts. Requires deep-cultivated, nutrient-rich, moist soil.

Colchicum is extremely popular among amateur gardeners, especially. It is pleasant in late autumn, among the withered foliage, to see a flock of delicately colored buds peeking out here and there. The plant is excellent for arrangement in clumps in tree trunk circles garden trees, for borders, in mixborders and flower beds as a foreground plant.

Looks great in isolated plantings on lawns, near the walls of courtyards and outbuildings. It combines amazingly with any other garden flowers, because it blooms at a time when only green foliage and fallen leaves remain from other perennials, reviving the fading nature with delicate lilac-lilac flowers. Looks attractive among hostas and other decorative deciduous trees flower crops, decorating them with colorful flowers. Even the first frosts and light snow are not scary for him.

Brave bouquets look unusual on lightly fallen snow. Anywhere in your personal plot will create a nostalgic reminder of the passing summer. Having planted this plant once, you will admire the charming creation of nature for many years.

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Preface

Colchicum, or Colchicum, belongs to the herbaceous bulbous plants of the lily family. Its value lies in the fact that its fragile and delicate flowers bloom in mid-autumn, when most plants have already bloomed. Therefore, people often call it autumn flower or autumn color. And because all parts of the colchicum are poisonous - the poisonous crocus and the spider flower. The plant was known back in Ancient Greece, where it was surrounded by a large number of legends. Today, under natural growing conditions, these flowers can be found in the Mediterranean and Asian countries. On the territory of our country they are found in the Caucasus mountains and Crimea.

Colchicum as a garden crop

Colchicum is a perennial garden crop that blooms in August-October. At this time, low peduncles with buds emerge from the corms, which, when blooming, turn into large flowers of a simple bell-shaped form. They are characterized by a long tube and six bends. Their color can be white, cream, pink, lilac, lilac, violet or purple. Several yellow or bright red stamens emerge from the core of the flowers. In their structure, colchicum flowers resemble large crocuses. Flowering usually lasts up to three weeks. Hybrid varieties can have a terry shape. The plant emits a light, elegant scent.

Each bulb produces up to 10 flowers

In early spring, large, thick, leathery, bright green foliage with an elongated lanceolate shape appears from the ground, growing up to 7 cm in length. In mid-summer it dries up, and during the spectacular flowering the plants remain bare. For this feature in England, the colchicum was jokingly nicknamed the “naked lady.” The fruits formed after flowering are oval or diamond-shaped tricuspid capsules with reddish-brown seeds. For getting seed material they are left to overwinter on the plant, since their full ripening occurs only in the early summer of the following year.

Colchicum is completely unpretentious to growing conditions and blooms profusely both in sunny areas of the garden and in light shade. But you should not plant it under too spreading bushes, since in strong shade it can be affected by various pests. For colchicum, both sour and alkaline soils. But for better development of the plant you need to choose loose and nutrient soil. It must be well-drained, since when water stagnates, the flower bulbs quickly rot, which leads to the death of the crocus.

During the appearance of foliage and during the formation of buds, the colchicum can be taken out to the balcony

In addition to open ground, this flower can be grown in room conditions using small tubs or pots for planting. Several bulbs are planted in one container. Every three years, overgrown plants are replanted. This should be done after the foliage dies.

Due to its growth in the wild, the crocus is quite frost-resistant, hardy and undemanding to temperature conditions. Therefore it can be grown in open ground in almost every region of our country.

Beneficial features

Colchicum has a specific chemical composition and has a number of medicinal properties that are widely used both in folk medicine, and in pharmaceutical drugs. Compositions prepared on its basis have analgesic, antiemetic, antioxidant, diuretic and laxative effects.

Various tinctures, ointments and rubs are prepared from the bulbs, foliage and flowers of the plant. They are used in the treatment of:

• arthritis;
• gout;
• radiculitis;
• rheumatism;
• lumbago;
• skin damage (cuts, burns, etc.);
• urolithiasis;
• cystitis;
• swelling.

It should be remembered that colchicum contains toxic substances; its corms and fruits are especially toxic. Therefore, you should not self-medicate and take medications without consulting a specialist. You also need to strictly follow the recommended dosages so as not to get poisoned, which has very unpleasant symptoms and serious health consequences.

Popular varieties of colchicum with photos

There are more than 60 species of colchicum in the wild. Only a few of them are grown in garden plots, as well as a large number of hybrid varieties bred on their basis.

Autumn colchicum (Colchicum autumnale)

Hybrid varieties may have a lilac or purple color and a double shape

The plant grows up to 40 cm in height. Its bright green foliage is oval in shape and glossy surface. White or pink flowers reach 7 cm in diameter and 10 cm in height.

Colchicum speciosum

Varietal varieties can have different colors, forming different patterns on the flowers

This species is distinguished by large wavy foliage up to 35 cm long and up to 6 cm wide. Its flowers, up to 15 cm in diameter, are colored pink or purple.

Colchicum laetum

During the winter thaw, this species can sometimes produce buds

The plant is characterized by its miniature size. Its flowers are pale lilac in color and have a diameter of no more than 7 cm.

Colchicum umbrosum

Their color ranges from lilac to pale purple

The plant has lanceolate-belt-shaped foliage up to 15 cm long and up to 22 cm wide. The petals of small flowers reach no more than 3 cm in length.

Colchicum Byzantine (Colchicum byzantinum)

This species can have a double form and has a long flowering time.

This look has a memorable appearance, but, unfortunately, quite rare. It is characterized by large flowers of light purple color with a diameter of 10 to 15 cm. Their wide petals have an oval shape and a shiny surface.

Colchicum variegatum

This variety is similar to Immortelle Agrippa, with which they are sometimes combined into one species

A characteristic feature of the plant is its pink-purple or pink-lilac color, reminiscent of a chess pattern. The few green foliage has wavy edges.

Colchicum Bornmueller

The flowers of this variety are pink with a white throat.

The plant has large flowers up to 10 cm in diameter and up to 15 cm in height. Their wide-open white petals in hybrid varieties can be decorated with a yellow pattern, and the tube can have a soft pink color.

Use in landscape design. Examples in the photo

Due to the timing of flowering, the beauty of foliage and buds and ease of care, colchicum has long gained great popularity in the design of garden plots. Since it can grow almost anywhere, it can be used in the most various plantings both group and individual.

Since the foliage of colchicum dies off already in June, and peduncles appear only at the beginning of autumn, in group plantings it is recommended to combine it with light creeping plants, for example, tenacious, periwinkle, parsley, spring umbilical cord, and mountain weed. They will help disguise dead foliage. It is also recommended to place colchicum plantings near low perennials, for example, peonies, aubrieta, iberis, acena, irises, and Canadian phlox. Flowering colchicums planted near coniferous shrubs (juniper, cypress and others) look very beautiful.

Methods of propagation and planting

Since colchicums are very easily propagated by bulbs, there is no need to use the seed method. Growing seedlings of this plant is a rather labor-intensive and time-consuming process. At the same time, the seeds have a very low percentage of germination, and plants obtained from young seedlings bloom no earlier than six years after planting in open ground.

To propagate colchicum, you can purchase bulbs of the variety you like in specialized stores. Or you can use three to four year old plants that are already growing on garden plot. They need to be dug up immediately after the foliage dies, the rhizomes are disassembled into bulbs, cleaned of soil, washed and soaked for several hours in a solution of potassium permanganate. After this, they must be dried well and stored in a cool, dark place until planting. The mother bulb should be thrown away as it is no longer suitable for growth.

Colchicum bulbs are relatively large, oval, covered with scales

Step-by-step instructions on how to plant colchicum

Planting should be done at the end of August using the following scheme:

1. For each square meter of the selected area, you need to add 1 bucket of humus and coarse sand and 100 g of complex mineral fertilizer.
2. The soil must be dug to a depth of at least 50 cm, leveled and holes made at a distance of at least 30 cm from each other. Depending on the size of the bulbs, their depth should be from 10 to 20 cm.
3. Plant each bulb in a separate hole, cover with soil, lightly compact, water and mulch.
4. Don't wait for foliage to appear in the fall; it will sprout only next spring.

In addition to receiving planting material, this method of propagation makes it possible to rejuvenate heavily overgrown plantings, the flowers of which become smaller due to their density.

Caring for colchicum in the garden from the moment of planting in open ground until autumn

Colchicum is a plant that requires minimal maintenance. In addition to the fact that it is unpretentious, it is in a dormant period almost all summer. When carrying out all work with crocus, both in the garden and at home, you need to remember that it is poisonous. Therefore, all procedures must be carried out with gloves and care must be taken that its juice does not get on the mucous membranes and skin of the face. This may cause serious burns. It is also not recommended to plant it in open ground in areas where small children or pets can play or walk. When growing indoors, you need to place containers with these plants in places inaccessible to them.

Colchicum is deadly poisonous and requires care when handling

Watering and fertilizing

Colchicum requires watering only in very hot weather. Due to its characteristics, it does not tolerate waterlogging at all and is content with the moisture that it accumulates in its bulbs. After the leaves dry out, watering is stopped completely and resumed only after the buds appear.

In the spring, after the first leaves sprout, you need to water the plants with a solution of nitrogen fertilizer. It will help the green mass quickly gain strength and acquire decorative look. A large number of leaves also provides good nutrition to the bulbs, which ensures bright and abundant flowering.

The second feeding is carried out after the appearance of buds, and the third after the end of flowering. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are used for them

Pruning and weeding

During the appearance of foliage and during the flowering process, it is necessary to carry out regular weeding and loosening of the soil. After this, it is recommended to mulch the soil with sawdust or peat. It is better to avoid trimming foliage and flower stalks before wintering. They will protect the bulbs from freezing in winter. They can be removed during spring cleaning of plantings.

Care after flowering

After flowering, the colchicum needs to be prepared for wintering. To do this, the area must be cleared of weeds, thoroughly loosened and covered with a small layer of peat. For regions with warm winters, this will be enough for the plant bulbs to comfortably overwinter. In places with frosty winters, you need to sprinkle dry leaves on top of the peat and spread spruce branches.

Video about transplanting colchicum after flowering

Problems in growing colchicum and their solutions

At proper care and following the rules of maintenance, colchicum rarely gives gardeners problems when growing. With frequent overflows, it can be affected by gray rot. It can be recognized by the formation of brown spots on foliage or stems. Over time, they become covered with a white fluffy coating and rot. To prevent waterlogging, soil drainage is necessary. To treat an already affected colchicum, it is necessary to remove the affected parts of the leaves and treat the plant with a potent fungicide (Topaz, Kuproksat, Champion).

With proper care, colchicums are practically not affected by harmful insects, but slugs and snails love to eat their succulent foliage. Since it is very difficult to destroy them using chemicals, it is recommended to use special traps to get rid of them. If they do not help, then you will have to catch them with your hands.

Caught dead snails can be used as fertilizer in the same bed

Useful reviews about growing

Colchicum corms are often sold already with flowers. You can put it in some kind of vessel, take something transparent, fill a vase or an ordinary glass with dry sand or gravel (just don’t water it, don’t moisten it) and it will bloom. Colchicum has such great vitality that it can bloom without soil or water. After flowering, the bulb must be planted in the garden.

Azalea

http://www.forumdacha.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2783

Other plants do not choke it, but a bunch of withered leaves in July can ruin the appearance of the flowerbed. Interesting plant. Bulbs are planted from spring to August. Sometimes stores even sell bare bulbs with flowers. They are inexpensive (except for exclusive ones). I advise you to pay attention.

Svetlana Yurievna

http://irecommend.ru/content/v-belom-belom

Our specimens have been pleasing us for more than 5 years, we ordered them from the catalog and at the beginning of autumn we received a parcel with a tuber that looked like a potato with pink sprouts, the flowers appeared a week after planting, the first time the flowering was especially surprising. This miracle needs to be replanted before flowering.

Zinoxander

https://otzovik.com/review_2100485.html

Very pretty autumn flowers, capable of surprising and delighting with their blooming in autumn, a time not suitable for other garden flowers. I recommend it, but for its particular toxicity my rating is still 4.

Kristiya

http://irecommend.ru/content/yadovityi-osennii-krasavchik

When I had to sort through the bulbs (and I have a lot of them), I noticed that I had a runny nose and a stomach ache the next day, and generally felt some kind of tension around them. I was especially interested in the dwarfism of some of the plants growing next to him. For example, phlox planted from seeds became the size of a palm after a year and stopped growing.

fortemona

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Colchicum is a very original flower that can enliven a garden plot both in early autumn and late spring. He has long received well-deserved recognition from a large number of gardeners. Its decorative bright foliage and unusual look graceful and beautiful flowers combined with ease of care and ease of reproduction. Moreover, it can not only be grown in the garden, but also used as a houseplant.

Colchicum, or in other words colchicum, blooms in early autumn. The flowers of the plant are somewhat similar to crocuses. During the flowering period, there are no leaves on the stems. Autumn colchicum and other flower species have pleasant aroma, white, purple and pink shades. Plant height is 8–20 centimeters. Let's take a closer look at how to plant and care for colchicum, as well as when it is best to replant it.

Features of the plant life cycle

One bulb usually produces four flowers, which are not covered with leaves during the flowering period. The flowering period of colchicum is two to three weeks. During this period, it is pollinated by bees or flies. After flowering, the flowers fade, and the pollinated ovaries survive the winter under the snow, since the ovary of the plant is located inside the corm.

In April, four oblong shiny leaves emerge from each bulb. In the center of each such bunch there is a box with seeds. The top of the flower “feeds” the bulb with all the necessary substances and also disperses the seeds. In mid-summer, the upper part of the plant dries out, and in the fall the colchicum flower appears.
When there is too much drought in the summer, Colchicum goes into hibernation to survive. Vegetation and flowering of the plant therefore occur in autumn, when all the conditions are there for this.

Varieties of autumn crocus

Colchicum consists of 65 or more different varieties. Flowers mainly grow in the Mediterranean region. Gardeners usually plant the following types of plants on their territories:

1. Autumn colchicum has large white flowers up to 10 centimeters in height;
2. Colchicum splendor grows 20 centimeters in height. It comes in pink-purple, striped and checkerboard. Colchicum splendid can grow on any soil: acidic or alkaline, loamy. It is just important not to overdo it with watering, so as not to overdo it with humidity. During the flowering period, this type of plant can easily outshine in its beauty other flowers growing next to it in the garden;
3. Colchicum variegated blooms in pink and lilac shades;
4. Colchicum Agrippa blooms with pink flowers with variegated spots. Its height is only 15 centimeters;
5. The yellow colchicum, whose height is 10 centimeters, has yellow leaves;
6. Cilician colchicum grows in Turkey. It grows 60 centimeters in height. From one bulb, 25 flowers of white, blue, lilac-pink bloom at a time. The leaves of the plant grow in the spring, and the plant itself blooms in late autumn;
7. Colchicum Byzantium leaves appear in the spring, and the plant blooms in late summer - early autumn. One bulb produces 12 pink and purple flowers, 10 centimeters high.

There are many more varieties of colchicums that bloom in autumn and which flower growers and lovers of beautiful nature can plant on their plots.

Varieties of spring crocus

Colchicums, which bloom in the spring, grow leaves as they bloom. Their leaves open in May, then bear fruit in June and dry up.
Varieties of spring crocus:

• As soon as the snow melts, Kesselring's colchicums begin to bloom in the spring. The leaves near the inflorescences themselves have White color with brownish-purple stripes three centimeters long. Leaves grow up to 20 centimeters;
• Colchicum Sovicha blooms with small pale pink flowers in spring. The plant has unequally shaped, lanceolate leaves that grow 20 centimeters in length;
• The water-loving plant has narrow, pointed leaves. The flowers bloom in light pink shades. Leaves and inflorescences bloom simultaneously;
• At the end of winter, the Hungarian plant species blooms. It blooms in shades of white, pink or purple. The leaves of Colchicum are slightly pubescent at the edges;
• Ankara or three-leaved colchicum has slightly pubescent leaves at the edges of an oblong, narrow shape. The plant blooms with pink, purple flowers, along with leaves;
• At the beginning of April, the shadow species of colchicum begins to grow. The bulb has a round, dark shape. The leaves of the plant are linear, narrowed, and dense. Blooms in pale pink hues in August;
• The bright colchicum flowers are very small, have thin columns with an inconspicuous stigma. The leaves of this type of plant are 4 centimeters long. It blooms with pale lilac or pink flowers.

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The described colchicums can harmoniously decorate any garden in the spring.

Seed growing of flowers

Colchicum grows slowly from seeds. Growing a flower in this way is done as follows:

1. Plow the ground and cover it with sand. Sow flower seeds into the prepared soil;
2. During the warm season, maintain soil moisture for several days;
3. It is advisable to leave the seeds outdoors so that they can soak up the summer warmth and also be able to survive temperature fluctuations.

Autumn colchicum, magnificent crocus, as well as other types of plants germinate within two years after they are planted from seeds.

To help the seeds germinate better, they must first be planted in a warm, humid period, and then in the cool season with temperature changes. It is recommended to store seedlings in a dark place. Seed colchicum blooms only five years after sowing.

Daughter corms

Colchicums are grown not only from seeds, but also from daughter corms.

• First you need to collect the corms. They are collected in July, when the seeds are ripe and the leaves turn yellow and fall to the ground.
• You need to dig out the bulbs carefully. Remove soil, remaining leaves and old bulbs from them. The scales covering the tubers should not be removed.
• Wash the dug up and prepared bulbs with water, pickle with potassium permanganate and dry at a temperature of 24 degrees Celsius.
• In August, you can plant collected and prepared bulbs in open ground. Planting of flowers is carried out in loose and fertile soil at a depth of 12 centimeters and at a distance between the bulbs of 20 centimeters.

After planting the daughter corms to complete the propagation of the plant, they must be watered.

How to care for flowers?

In order for the colchicum to bloom long and beautifully, it needs to be properly cared for. Water flowers only during the flowering period, especially when it is too hot. Make sure there is no excess moisture, as it can cause the plant to rot.
It is important to feed Colchicum. The procedure is usually carried out during the period of planting bulbs in open ground. In spring and summer, it is important to spray the plant with nitrogen fertilizers every year. Feeding helps accumulate nutrients in the colchicum bulb, due to which beautiful and smooth leaves grow.
At the end of autumn, remove dry leaves and flowers from the bushes so that the flower garden always looks attractive.

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Planting and replanting of flowers is carried out at the end of summer. Flower bulbs need to be planted at a depth, taking into account its size. For example, small bulbs should be planted at a depth of 6 centimeters. The distance between plants should be 15 centimeters.
Large bulbs are grown at a depth of 12 centimeters, and at a distance of 25 centimeters from each other.
The bushes need to be replanted into fertile and loose soil once every couple of years. When replanting, it is important to remove old bulbs so that they do not interfere with the flowers blooming beautifully.

Take note!

If you want to plant autumn crocus, magnificent crocus or another type of colchicum, first plant a couple of flowering bushes annual plants. This is done so that while waiting for the colchicum to germinate and bloom, you can admire not an empty space, but flowering annual plants.

It is also important to remember that autumn crocus is considered poisonous plant. You must wear gloves when handling flowers. The skin should be protected during planting and caring for colchicum.

Benefits and applications of colchicum

Autumn colchicum has poisonous bulbs and seeds, but despite this, it is often used to create medicinal tinctures, ointments, and infusions.
Colchicum corms are enriched with heterocyclic alkaloids, aromatic acids, sugars, flavonoids, resins, tannins, and lipids. Colchicum products have analgesic, antiemetic, diuretic and laxative properties.

Where is the plant used?

In order not to harm your health, before you start taking traditional medicines that contain colchicum, you should definitely go to the doctor.
For the treatment of gout, arthritis, rheumatism, radiculitis, as well as for pain relief, ointments and infusions of colchicum are used.
To get rid of edema, rheumatism, cystitis, urolithiasis, and discomfort in the chest, a tincture of fresh tubers of the plant is used.
Growing colchicum in the garden is carried out not only for beauty, but also for collecting flowers, from which they make an ointment that relieves pain in joint diseases.

Features of preparing folk remedies

Colchicum in the form of a tincture is used to relieve pain and relieve inflammation in sore areas.

Colchicum is used to create the following healing folk remedies:

1. To make an infusion from the plant, pour half a teaspoon of fresh onion with boiling water (500 milliliters). Let stand for two hours and strain. You need to start taking the infusion with a small dosage. It is recommended to drink the product five times a day, 5 milliliters, with a glass of warm water;
2. Pour half a liter of water into 300 grams of the crushed plant. Simmer in a water bath for half an hour. Add Vaseline or butter to the strained infusion. You should get a mass with a consistency similar to ointment. The product should be stored at a temperature no higher than 15 degrees. Ointment is used to treat joint diseases;
3. Mix dry colchicum tubers with vinegar in a ratio of 1:12. Let it brew for two weeks. The finished product is used as a rub to relieve joint pain;
4. Pour crushed colchicum roots with ethyl alcohol in a ratio of 1:5. Let it brew in a dark place for two weeks. Rubbing is used for rheumatic diseases;
5. Pour a fresh plant bulb (10 grams) with ethyl alcohol (100 milliliters). Let it brew for 20 days. After a while, strain the product and take it, starting with one drop per day;
6. Pour the plant seeds with ethyl alcohol in a ratio of 1:10. When the infusion has stood for two weeks, it can be used both internally - 15 drops three times a day, and externally in the form of compresses.

The colchicum flower is also called colchicum. According to the description, it belongs to the Colchicum family. Colchicum grows in central and western Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean, and northern Africa, but this crop can also be grown in countries with temperate climates. Approximately 70 plant species are known.

Colchicum is a perennial herbaceous crop. It is an ephemeroid with many short stems. The leaves are large and have a lanceolate oblong shape. They develop in the spring and die off by summer. The corms have an outer brown layer that extends into an oblong tube that encloses the lower part of the plant.

Varieties

There are 2 groups of colchicum species that bloom buds in spring and autumn. Single funnel-shaped flowers grow from the ground, up to 20 cm in length. After flowering, elongated spherical boxes are formed that contain seeds.

Both the bulbs with roots and the above-ground parts of the plant are extremely poisonous.

There are the following types of colchicum that bloom in spring:

1. 1. Yellow. Its homeland is the Pamirs, Tibet, and the Himalayas. Cultivated since the end of the 19th century. Flowering begins as soon as the snow melts. The petals are bright and yellow. The inflorescences are up to 3 cm in diameter and up to 15 cm in height. Lithuania is developing simultaneously with them.
2. 2. Hungarian. Flowering begins in late winter - early spring. The petals are snow-white or pink-purple, and the anthers are cherry. There is dense pile on the foliage. A popular variety is Velebit Star.
3. 3. Three-leaved. Also called Ankara or Bieberstein. It is considered one of the earliest - flowering begins at the end of December and ends in mid-spring. The inflorescences are usually pinkish-purple.
4. 4. Kesselring (Regel). Found in the Alps and Tien Shan. The bulb is elongated. The leaves are groove-shaped, with blunt ends. Sometimes there are teeth. There are usually 1-4 inflorescences. They are white with purple stripes.

Among the varieties that bloom in spring, there are also Colchicum fasciculata, water-loving and Sovicha.

Popular is autumn view. Found in European meadows - from Great Britain to the Carpathians. The flower is up to 0.4 m high. Sheet plates flat. The inflorescences are usually white or pale purple, up to 70 mm in diameter. The following varieties of autumn colchicum are distinguished:

1. 1. White. Rare flower up to 15 cm in length. It has a snow-white color with a yellowish center.
2. 2. Terry. Petals are lilac. There are many of them - up to 35 pieces on one inflorescence. The plant is up to 12 cm in height, with a diameter of about 5 cm. Flowering begins only at the end of October - much later than other varieties of colchicum.
3. 3. Snow-white terry. Petals - up to 45 pieces, flowering begins in mid-September.
4. 4. Neddyste. A plant with soft pink inflorescences.

There is also autumn colchicum with dark and light purple inflorescences. Separately, there is a variety called Baconsfield, whose petals are purple-pink and have a white center.

The magnificent crocus occupies a special place. In the wild it is found in Turkey, Transcaucasia and northern Iran. It reaches a height of 0.5 m. Leaves are up to 30 cm long, with wavy edges. In summer they fade. The inflorescences are quite large, usually lilac or pink.

There are many garden forms Colchicum splendid. The most popular varieties are:

1. 1. Premier. The variety is late flowering. The plant produces many bright pink flowers.
2. 2. Waterlily. This plant has double inflorescences.
3. 3. Huxley. The inflorescences are pink-purple, but after a while they acquire a bright purple color.

In addition to the autumn and magnificent colchicum, there are other forms of the plant that bloom in the fall. Popular ones are:

• Stevin;
• Sibtropa;
• Kochi;
• motley;
• Neapolitan;
• Cilician and others.

From hybrid forms common:

• Violet Queen.
• Dick Trotter.
• Princess Astrid.

They can be combined with each other, creating beautiful and unusual flower beds.

Reproduction and planting

If it is not possible to purchase colchicum bulbs, you can use seeds. They are collected after ripening and sown fresh in the ground. If you store seeds for some time, the germination rate deteriorates. When growing colchicum from seeds, it will flower in at least 4 years. This time is required for the bulb to grow and accumulate nutrients.

You can grow colchicum from seeds at home or directly in open ground. The following steps must be followed:

1. 1. Soak the seeds in clean water (wait several hours).
2. 2. Dig up the soil and water it.
3. 3. Make holes and sprinkle the bottom with sand (this will be a drainage layer).
4. 4. Sow the seeds to a depth of no more than 5 cm.

Young plants will appear only by next spring. They will need to be thinned out, watered, weeds removed, and covered with dry leaves for the winter.

This propagation method is not suitable for hybrid varieties. In this case, a vegetative method is required, that is, the use of daughter corms. Such children, which were formed from the mother's bulb, give quick results. Flowering will begin in 1-3 years. In addition, this method of reproduction is the simplest and most effective.

All procedures must be carried out in the summer, when the seeds are already ripe and the leaves have fallen, that is, the colchicum is in the dormant stage.

1. 1. It is necessary to dig up the bulb, remove the soil from it, wash it with water, cut off the leaves (the scales cannot be touched).
2. 2. Then it should be kept for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then thoroughly dried under natural conditions.
3. 3. In August, the bulb can be planted in open ground to a depth of 8-10 cm.

Rules of care

Colchicum is unpretentious plant, so caring for it is quite simple. But to maintain development and flowering, it is necessary to create at least a minimum of conditions:

1. 1. Soil. Colchicum can grow almost anywhere, but the best option is fertile soil with a neutral or weak acidic reaction, air and water permeable. It is recommended to fertilize the soil on the site in early spring, when the leaves of the plant are just developing, or in late autumn (during the dormant period). Stagnation of water should not be allowed, as the roots of the colchicum begin to rot. If the area is constantly wet, it is best to plant the plant on alpine slide. Clay-depleted soil is not suitable for colchicum.
2. 2. Lighting. Colchicum feels good both in a lighted place and in partial shade. The plant needs the sun's rays most in the spring, when the foliage is just emerging and the flowers are already using the nutritional components from the corm. For colchicum you need to find a place in the garden where it will not be shaded by other bushes, trees and flowers. A suitable option is an area under trees whose foliage forms late.
3. 3. Watering. When the plant has leaves and inflorescences, it is necessary to regularly irrigate the soil so that it does not dry out.
4. 4. Loosening the soil. This is best done after watering. Loosening allows the roots to receive more oxygen. At the same time, weeds need to be removed.
5. 5. Feeding. Before planting colchicums, it is necessary to fertilize the soil. Plants need to be fed 2-3 times a season. Best to use mineral fertilizers complex type. You will need 30 g of substance for each square meter area. The last feeding should be done in September. At this time, compositions that contain phosphorus and potassium are used. These substances will prepare the plants for winter and ensure abundant flowering for the next season.
6. 6. Trimming. All wilted buds must be removed.
7. 7. Insulation before winter. Plants of hybrid varieties and varieties that have low resistance to frost must be insulated. You can use special covering materials.
8. 8. Transplant. It must be timely. If the corms grow too much, thickening of the plantings will occur, which is why flowering will no longer occur. Colchicum can grow in the same place for up to 7 years. Then it becomes crowded, the bulbs become smaller, and the decorative appearance of the plant deteriorates. To prevent this, experts advise transplantation every 2-3 years. You need to dig out a nest of bulbs without damaging them, choose the largest ones and then proceed as with normal planting in open ground.
9. 9. Prevention of the occurrence of various diseases and pests. The plant is susceptible to gray rot. To save the flower, you need to use drugs such as Kuproxat, Champion, Topaz. You will have to collect the snails by hand. Insecticidal agents (Aktara, Aktellik) will help against insects.