Hyacinthoides lingulata ssp ciliolata and some crocuses
Jane McGary (Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:56:06 PDT)

I was surprised to read that Jim McKenney considers the color of
Hyacinthoides lingulata ssp ciliolata to be dull gray-blue. The stock
from which his plant is derived produces flowers of attractive clear
light blue. I wonder if his plant is receiving too little sunlight
(mine's in full sun), or if the acidity of the soil affects the
color. Mine are in a fairly acidic soil, as is common in this region,
and I rarely add lime to the mix in which I plant my bulbs. There is
something about the soil here in the Cascade foothills that seems to
deepen color in many flowers, particularly roses; the soil (volcanic
in origin) is high in potassium and iron.

I have another subspecies, ssp. lingulata, which flowers about 3
weeks earlier than ssp. ciliolata. The early-flowering one is more
susceptible to defoliating in cold temperatures, but it comes back
the next year. Both of them increase well vegetatively but I have
never obtained ripe seed from them. Jim is probably correct in
thinking it would not be a good open-garden plant, because the rather
succulent foliage is easily damaged if it freezes when wet. It is,
however, a very small plant and easily grown in a small container.

It's a little disappointing that many species formerly placed in the
genus Scilla have been transferred to Hyacinthoides, though when you
look at the bulbs it's easy to see one morphological reason for doing
so. The existence of Hyacinthoides campanulata (Spanish bluebell) and
its horticultural hybrids with H. non-scripta turns many gardeners
off the whole genus because Spanish bluebells are so invasive. Some
people still know them as Scilla (they went through Endymion, too),
and as a result will not plant any member of the genus Scilla -- just
as experience with Muscari armeniacum or M. azureum keeps them from
trying any of the better-behaved Muscari species. Scilla itself has
also been split by Speta into about 14 genera, but I don't know how
widely this view is being accepted. Incidentally, one still
encounters some Hyacinthoides under the name Hyacinthus -- I obtained
at least one such species from Monocot Nursery's seedlist in the
early 1990s. The bulbs of Hyacinthoides and Hyacinthus are, however,
quite distinct in appearance.

The old Dutch stock of Crocus kotschyanus was sold under various
names, unfortunately including C. karduchorum, which is the valid
name of a rarely grown species, also lavender and fall-flowering but
distinguished by a very finely divided pure white stigma. (I was able
to distribute a few corms of C. karduchorum a couple of years ago,
having raised it from seed originating with the Gothenburg Botanic
Garden, and I hope they are being cherished.) If Jim's plants have
deformed flowers, they are, as Rodger notes, infected with virus and
should be discarded. This strain increases very fast vegetatively but
doesn't flower much. There are, however, at least two free-flowering
selections of C. kotschyanus available, one named 'Reliant' and
another that I have only under the collectors' initials, JRJK. I have
never seen symptoms of virus in the latter, and also they will
self-sow a little, the seeds being transported by ants into grassy
areas typical of crocus habitat in nature.

The best naturalizing fall crocuses here are C. speciosus, which is
good in northern gardens too, being of alpine origin, and C.
pulchellus. Both the former can be obtained in several named forms.
Also doing well in the garden are C. nudiflorus and C. serotinus. C.
cartwrightianus is another possibility for the open garden in
moderate climates. If I lived in California, I'd use C. goulimyi, C.
niveus, and C. boryi extensively. Like spring crocuses, these
fall-flowering ones are safest planted in the lawn or in crevices in
the rock garden, where voles and other rodents are least likely to
get at them. If you have a retentive soil, C. banaticus can be a real
success, but my soil here dried out too much in summer. Later in the
fall there is C. ochroleucus, surprisingly cold-hardy, and it somehow
avoids the voles where little else does; it is, however, a little
crocus and doesn't open up in the typically bad weather of early December.

Growing under cover here and in flower now are the various subspecies
of C. cancellatus, which can be very beautifully marked; C. mathewii
with its deep violet throat; C. pallasii and C. asumaniae, similar
but the latter is more beautiful; the large C. niveus, in white and
pale blue; and several kinds of C. serotinus. C. moabiticus continues
to struggle along but I think I've lost C. hermoneus at last, after
16 years. There are a couple of the fall-flowering subspecies of C.
biflorus, such as C. b. melantherus, but mice got C. b.
pseudonubigenus a couple of years ago, and I would very much
appreciate knowing of anyone who still has it.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA