Best of the bunch

Colchicum HAVE you seen any naked ladies recently? I am referring to the garden variety of course!

So-called because the stem and flower emerge in autumn bare of leaves, Colchicum are also known as autumn crocus because they look similar.

Plant in July or August for autumn flowering – leaves emerge in spring and die down in the summer. Our native Colchicum autumnale grows wild in damp meadows, and in the garden they prefer moisture-retentive soil. The showiest of species is C. specious ‘Album’ with beautiful pure white flowers.

A word of caution – they are highly toxic if ingested and the bulbs have sometimes been mistaken for edible wild garlic, leading to accidental poisoning.