Crocus olivieri subsp. olivieri

Crocus olivieri subsp. olivieri is very close to another botanical species called C. olivieri subsp. balansae, which is distinguished by a solid yellow-orange colouration both inside and outside the flower. This subspecies is also characterised by the division into 6 branches of the style located in the centre of the flower. It is a small, robust and hardy bulbous plant, with flowers emerging in late winter, sometimes piercing the last snow. Plant the bulbs where you can enjoy their radiant flowering, near the house or even in a planter.

Crocus olivieri subsp. olivieri belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is found in the Balkans and Turkey (Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria), where it grows in woods and thickets. The plant eventually forms large colonies of upright tufts reaching a height of 12cm (5in). Flowering takes place from February to March-April, depending on the climate. The flowers are cup-shaped and open in a star shape. The corolla is a very bright orange-yellow, as is the throat occupied by stamens and a style divided into 6 branches. They close at night and in bad weather, but open widely in the sun and even in partial shade. The foliage is deciduous in summer, composed of very thin linear leaves, which are single and alternate. They are shiny dark green with a white-silver central stripe. The 'bulbs' here are corms, covered by a membranous tunic, with thick and parallel fibres dividing at the base. A corm is, in plant morphology, an underground storage organ resembling a bulb, but formed by a swollen stem surrounded by scales.

Crocuses are undisputed stars of the garden, as they are the first heralds of spring. Crocus olivieri subsp. olivieri works wonders in rockeries, gravel beds, and along pathways. It will also thrive at the base of a hedge, planted en masse at the foot of deciduous trees (lilacs, mock oranges, viburnums) with Anemone blanda, Cyclamen coum, a carpet of violets, and of course, with other early-flowering crocuses. This crocus is well-suited for outdoor pot planting. Remember that early-flowering crocuses dislike waterlogged soils in winter and overly damp soils in summer. Always plant them in perfectly well-drained soil that is very dry in summer.

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