Is the sun shining? Today really feels like the calm after the storms, wonderful blue sky and bright light, warm in a sheltered spot – a taster of Spring! So, although I had other ideas planned for flower #9, I knew when I saw the glowing golden flowers under the Silver Birch tree, it had to be . . .
#009 : Crocus chrysanthus
Golden Crocus
It wasn't until I started doing some reading before writing this blogpost, that I realised quite how many Crocus species there are and all the variations and hybrids too. The ones that have flourished in our lawn were from a bag of mixed 'Species Crocus', small dainty crocuses, less showy than the big goblet shaped
Dutch Crocus (Crocus vernus). I think that these are Crocus chysanthus – you can see the beautiful dark markings on the outside of the buds before the golden flowers open when the sun warms them.
The name 'Crocus' is derived from an ancient Aramaic or Hebrew name meaning 'saffron' (the Saffron Crocus is Crocus sativus, a different but related species). 'Chrysanthus' means 'golden flower'.
And that's just what these little flowers become as the sun warms them and they open and glow like golden flames in the grass.
Last year I visited Myddleton House in North London and saw the E A Bowles collection of Crocuses neatly lined up in pots in a cold frame. I expect they are coming into bloom now . . . worth a visit if you are in the area. E A Bowles 'The Crocus King' was a fan of these delicate little Spring flowers and the subtle variations in markings and colours on the outer petals. Today, kneeling on the grass taking these photos, I could see the attraction.
Thank you for the comments on the previous 100 Flowers blogposts . . . I very much enjoy reading all of them.
Celia
xx
These little golden flowers make my soul smile :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful colour! It did indeed seem like spring yesterday.
ReplyDeleteHow gorgeous. A real drop of sunshine on a grey day. The crocus we have in the garden are still struggling upwards and those that had got a spurt on were put on the deck by last week's wind and rain. Still, they can be resilient so fingers crossed. We planted over 500 one year hoping they would naturalise under the trees at the top end of the garden. Sadly, badgers dug up the lot and ate them so we've not repeated the experiment!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful colour! It did indeed seem like spring yesterday. Nice blog Primodels Review
ReplyDelete