Colchicum automnale Waterlily

Colchicum 'Waterlily' is an old horticultural hybrid dating back to 1928 that still captivates with its large, intensely double and silky waterlily-like flowers in a beautiful lilac-pink colour. They emerge directly from the ground, enhanced by the softer light of late summer, while the foliage is absent. The foliage develops in spring and dries up in early summer, signalling that the bulb is entering dormancy. A true treasure for rock gardens, this colchicum works wonders in a lawn or flower bed, and its extraordinary waterlily-like flowers are long-lasting in a vase. It is a wonderful perennial plant, awarded in England for its ornamental qualities and performance in the garden.

Colchicum 'Waterlily' is a cross between C. autumnale 'Alboplenum' and C. speciosum 'Album'. Its first ancestor is native to temperate Europe and occurs naturally in damp meadows. The second thrives in subalpine meadows and scree slopes in the mountains of the Caucasus, northern Turkey, and Iran, up to an altitude of 3000m (9842ft).

'Waterlily' is a perennial plant with a storage organ called a corm. It belongs to the Colchicaceae family. Although its flowers resemble those of crocuses, colchicum has 6 stamens instead of 3 like crocuses, which belong to the Iridaceae family. A corm is a swollen stem covered with scales. A bulb, however, is formed by thickened scales like in lilies or garlic. At maturity, the plant reaches a height of 12cm (5in) for the foliage. The foliage emerges in spring, in the form of 3 or 4 large, smooth, light green leaves, wrapped around a short stem. They measure up to 25cm (10in) in length and 4 to 5cm (2in) in width. They disappear in early summer, marking the onset of dormancy for the corm. The flowering takes place in September-October, with each 'bulb' producing 1 to 6 huge flowers, 12cm (5in) tall and 15cm (6in) wide. They are composed of 20 satin-textured tepals, which are pink with a hint of mauve, gradually opening like a waterlily.

Colchicum 'Waterlily' is one of the most beautiful. It is a somewhat nostalgic plant that heralds the arrival of autumn. It can be used in rock gardens, in light woodlands, in natural lawns alongside crocuses and muscari, in ephemeral containers, and autumn bouquets. It thrives better in mountainous, well-watered climates with distinct winters. All parts of the plant are toxic. It is rarely bothered by common garden predators.