COLCHICUM WATERLILY

FEW plants rush into flower as quickly as colchicums. From big bulbs, blooms erupt overnight and resemble large, leafless crocuses. Colours come in tones of lilac-pink or pure white. The earliest bloom in late August or early September, but some continue to late October. Though leafless on weak stalks, the showiest species can develop massive clumps, up to 18cm high. Almost all have single flowers, usually goblet-shaped and with six petals. But the outstanding cultivar — Colchicum ‘Waterlily’ (pictured) — has big lilac flowers that open as bunches of petals. If bulbs are left undisturbed for several years, the flower clumps can become huge and make a spectacular autumn show. Grow colchicums in freedraining soil in sun.