Colchicum speciosum Album - Autumn crocus

Colchicum speciosum Album, related to the famous pink colchicum (Colchicum autumnale), is a beautiful pure white flower form of the Caucasian colchicum, a mountain species appreciated for its vigour, robustness, and floribundity. Its large luminous flowers appear in October, emerging in large numbers at ground level like alabaster tulips, unaffected by bad weather. Plant it in rockeries, on the edge of woodland, or in a lightly trodden area of the lawn.

Colchicum speciosum, from the lily family, is a bulbous plant native to the Caucasus, northeastern Turkey, and Iran, where it is found at altitudes of up to 3000m in subalpine meadows. It is a spring-growing plant that remains dormant underground during the summer and blooms in early autumn. The 'Album' form is distinguished by the perfect white of its flowers.

The foliage emerges from the ground in spring, in April-May. It consists of long lanceolate, bright green, shiny leaves measuring up to 25cm long and 8-10cm wide, gathered in a small tuft similar to ornamental garlic. Flowering begins at the end of September. Each bulb or corm produces one to three large flowers with 6 petals fused at the base into a long tube starting from the root. They open into a graceful flared, pure white cup, 7-8cm in diameter. These flowers are carried by a robust emerald-coloured tube, which allows them to withstand rain. An older plant can produce up to 50 flowers. The 'bulb' of the colchicum is actually a corm, an underground storage organ that allows the plant to survive the harsh season. It multiplies by producing numerous baby corms, allowing the colchicum to form large clumps over the years. This plant also multiplies by producing fruits, which are easy to see in spring, nestled among the foliage.

Colchicum speciosum 'Album' announces the arrival of autumn but also often celebrates the advent of a beautiful late season, one of the most beautiful moments of the year in the garden. While it adapts to most regions, colchicum dislikes severe heat waves and excessively dry soils in summer. It can be used in rockeries, in lightly wooded areas, but also in meadows alongside Naples cyclamens, black mondo grass, crocuses, and grape hyacinths, in seasonal pots, as well as in autumn bouquets with long spikes of amaranth, for example. It thrives best in alpine climates, with summer rainfall and distinct winters. All parts of the colchicum are toxic, and the plant is not greatly bothered by most predators in our gardens.