Crocus Fire Fly
Firefly is pale mineral-violet with a yellow throat and orange anthers. Species or Snow Crocus are the earliest Crocus to flower, about two weeks before their Large Flowering siblings. Species Crocus are the best for early spring lawn tapestries: hold off mowing the lawn until the foliage has died back. Drifts are also lovely in garden borders and rock gardens. Firefly has graceful six-petaled, 4â tall flowers that open and close on sunny days, and grass-like foliage with narrow, median silvery stripes. It has a fibrous (reticulate) tunic. Deer-resistant, they naturalize readily in well-draining soil and in full to partial sunlight. They may be a target for squirrels that may dig up newly planted bulbs for a snack, or for transplant elsewhere. Youâll need about nine corms (bulbs) per square foot for a dense planting.
- Extra-Early Flowers for Spring
- Good for Naturalizing
- A Magnet for Bees
- PLANT INFORMATION
- SCIENTIFIC NAME Crocus
- COMMON NAME Crocus
- VARIETY Miss Vain
- CLASSIFICATION Species
- PLANT TYPE Corm
- ORIGIN Holland
- Full Sun Part Sun, Part Shade
- SIZE/ GRADE 5/7cm
- BLOOM TIME Early Spring
- HARDINESS 3-8
- Find your zone
- WHEN TO PLANT Fall
- SHIPS Fall
Garden care: Plant bulbs in tight clusters to form naturalistic drifts 10cm deep where they can be left undisturbed for several years. Keep a look out for mice or squirrel damage. This can sometimes be avoided by laying a piece of chicken wire over the bulbs before you cover them with soil. If you are growing these in grass, avoid mowing it until the leaves have completely died back.