Few "bulbs"* are more valuable and less appreciated than these (*their curious, footed storage organs are actually corms). The rather unfortunate common name refers to the general resemblance of some colchicums to an oversized crocus, but in fact the two genera are from different plant families (colchicums from the Liliaceae; croci from the Iridaceae).

Colchicums are best known to gardeners in the form of a handful of large fall-blooming hybrids and species, including 'Waterlily' and C. speciosum. These are indeed showy, durable, unimpeachable ornamentals, bringing a welcome splash of color to the garden at a time when it is all too often lacking. The glorious diversity of the genus encompasses scores of other, lesser-known fall-blooming giants, however, as well as numerous winter-bloomers, spring-bloomers, summer-bloomers, and "dwarfs" (which are naturals for the rock garden). Colchicums are also geographically diverse, spanning a wide range of ecosystems and climatic zones from western Europe to central Asia. A garden that employs their full diversity can boast nearly constant colchicum bloom from midsummer to spring, in habitats ranging from rockery to meadow to perennial border to woodland edge.

As for the charge that colchicum foliage is troublesome, this is a contemptible calumny. We consider the lusty (typically spring-borne) leaves of the large-flowered forms to be highly ornamental, certainly far more so than the foliage of the average tulip or daffodil. Yes, they have the potential to overpower smaller companions, but this possibility can be averted with a little forethought. Indeed, their herbage can be used to the garden's advantage, by pairing them with late-emerging, summer-blooming perennials such as Platycodon grandiflorus, or with late-planted, warm-season annuals.

All in all, this is a genus to be treasured. It is also a genus to be ordered early: we start shipping their corms in August, and if you want to see bloom (rather than stubs of ex-blooms) this fall, you will need to order before then. Plant the large fall-blooming colchicums in moderately fertile, not overly dry soil in sun or light shade. The dwarf and spring-blooming species like full sun and need to stay relatively dry while dormant.