On 25 Oct 07, at 20:53, James Waddick wrote: > Crocus speciosum is almost done. I think this is 'Oxonian' - > the immense flowers on skimpy floral tubes get blown over in our > winds. They look sort of ethereal popping up here and there. The various cultivars of C. speciosus in commerce these days are, afaict, hopelessly mixed up, both with one another and with unnamed seedlings. Years ago I used to order 'Oxonian', 'Artabir', and other cultivars, but what come up was always a mix, mostly a sort of mid- blue that is more or less the type. Once in a while, there'd be one or two bulbs in a shipment that stood out for their dark flower; perhaps these were the true cultivars but I felt it was a fool's errand to try to segregate them. Does anyone reading have (or know of) a collection of true-to-name Crocus speciosus cultivars? All C. speciosus have "skimpy floral tubes [that] get blown over." It's a vice of the species. The only way to combat wind damage is to grow them under something that offers a mass of fine twiggy growth to support the frail tubes. > Another palest blue, smaller crocus is in bloom. Label is > lost, but I should try to key out the species, at least. Possibly C. salzmanii. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island