Crocus kotschyanus

The Kotschy Crocus is a botanical species native to Turkey, the Caucasus, and Lebanon that blooms in early autumn, usually in October. Its flowers are not very large, but the plant multiplies very easily and its cultivation does not present any particular difficulty in well-drained soil, rather dry in summer. This species, often confused with the karduchorum Crocus, is characterised by flowers of more or less mauve to light pink colour with a yellow-circled throat. It can be planted in a rock garden, a gravel garden, a raised bed, at the base of deciduous shrubs, or in a planter.

The Kotschy Crocus, formerly known as Crocus zonatus, belongs to the iris family like all crocuses. Its natural distribution range extends from central to southern and northwestern Turkey to Syria and the northern and central parts of Lebanon. This species has been awarded the R.H.S. Award of Garden Merit. It freely self-seeds and multiplies spontaneously by producing bulbils.

In cultivation, this Kotschy Crocus blooms in October. It produces 10-12 cm tall flowers that emerge alone from the ground, while the leaves develop in late winter. The elongated cup-shaped flowers are composed of 6 petals whose colour can vary between pale lilac mauve and pale mauve-pink, finely veined with light violet. They open in a star shape, revealing a yellow-circled throat. The centre of the flower is occupied by a white style, divided into very thin yellow filaments. This style dominates yellow stamens with white anthers. The flowers close at night and in bad weather, and open widely in the sun. The foliage consists of fine linear, single, and alternate, medium green leaves, crossed by a white line. The "bulbs" here are corms covered by a tunic of parallel fibres. A corm is, in plant morphology, an underground storage organ that looks like a bulb but is formed by a swollen stem surrounded by a fibrous tunic.

The Kotschy Crocus adds a nice touch of colour in early autumn. It can be planted in rock gardens, or at the base of deciduous trees or shrubs. It will thrive and naturalise quickly in any well-drained soil, even rocky soil. Combine autumn crocuses with their spring cousins to enjoy multiple blooms throughout the year. Some ideas for combinations: with cyclamens, botanical daffodils, and other small spring bulbs like botanical tulips and grape hyacinths.

A tip about crocuses: their roots have the particular ability to contract like a spring, allowing the plant to settle at the ideal depth for the plant.