Crocus chrysanthus Constellation

Crocus chrysanthus 'Constellation' is a variety of botanical crocus that brightens up the garden early in the season, just after snowdrops. Its lovely flowers are white, veined with violet on the outside and enhanced by a yellow to light bronze throat with vibrant orange stamens. It is a vigorous and reliable variety, with small bulbs that are easy to cultivate. They naturalise easily in borders or rock gardens, as long as they receive enough sunlight and are planted in well-drained soil.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Constellation' belongs to the Iridaceae family. Its ancestor, the golden crocus, originates from Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula. This prolific variety quickly forms significant colonies in 12cm (5in) tall upright clumps. Flowering occurs from February to March, depending on the climate. The plants have numerous cup-shaped flowers that open like stars. They are white tinged with ivory and bear a yellow-bronze throat. The reverse of the petals is vividly flamed with violet. The bright orange-yellow centre of the flower is filled with stamens grouped in a 'tube'. The flowers close at night and in bad weather, but open wide in the sun and even in partial shade. The foliage is deciduous, drying up and disappearing some time after flowering, while the bulb enters dormancy to escape the hot season. It consists of thin, thick linear leaves that are simple and alternate. They are shiny green with a white-silver central band. The 'bulbs' are corms. In plant morphology, a corm is an underground reserve organ that resembles a bulb, but is formed by a swollen stem surrounded by scales.

Crocuses are undisputed stars of the garden, as they are the first heralds of spring. Crocus chrysanthus 'Constellation' works wonders in rock gardens, borders, and along pathways. It will also thrive on the edge of a clear woodland with C. tommasinianus, along a hedge, planted en masse at the base of deciduous trees (lilacs, mock orange, viburnums) with perennial hellebores and rose cyclamens, or in the middle of a lawn with winter aconites, snowdrops, or a carpet of violets, and of course, paired with other early-flowering crocuses. This crocus is well-suited for planting in outdoor pots.

Crocus roots can contract like a spring, allowing the plant to settle at its ideal depth.