Mary Sue asked, >No one has responded to the question of growing Crocus from seed. I too >have had germination sometimes the following year or 4 or 5 months after >sowing. Any help from the experts? Or is this to be expected. I am not an expert but have grown about 60 species from seed, so will respond. Crocus germination patterns are as varied as crocuses are. Remember that some bloom in fall, and they grow in every sort of habitat from bare desert to alpine bogs, and in climates ranging from frost-free to severely continental. Seed planted before January and left outdoors but covered typically germinates around March here. Seed planted later may germinate in late spring, in which case it grows through the summer. Some species typically germinate the second year no matter when you plant them. It is advisable to keep the seedlings in their seed pots (supplying weak fertilizer while in growth, and not drying them off severely while dormant) for two years because the corms are so small. I also think all species should be protected from severe freezing while in growth as seedlings, even species like C. vernus that are extremely cold-hardy. I suspect that failure of seed to germinate is probably the result of rotting (if the seed was good to start with -- it can be hollow when you get it), so a very well drained medium is useful. Also, some of the wet-growing species may be intolerant of the seed becoming dried out; I suppose that is why I have not been able to germinate C. pelistericus on the two occasions I have obtained seed from exchanges. However, C. scharojanii (wild-collected) has germinated here, though it has not yet flowered for me. Jane McGary Northwest Oregon