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It
is a fascinating
and rather underrated crocus. It has tiny corms that look more like a
small, elongated hazelnut than a crocus as they are completely encased in a hard
tunic unlike other crocus which tend to have a more shredded wheat appearance.
Indeed, its name 'laevigatus' means smooth or polished. This
bright little crocus chooses the very end of autumn, or more correctly, the
beginning of winter to flower, usually just before Christmas. Its distribution
in the wild runs from mainland Greece to Crete, where it becomes much smaller
and white flowered rather than the
more common lilac- purple. The form in cultivation goes under the name 'Fontenayi'
and has good sized flowers with well rounded petals.
Like so many crocus there is a strong contrast in colour between the
outside and inside. The inside is lilac-purple while the outer petals are
suffused with a creamy buff and have deep purple-maroon feathering superimposed
on them. This
means that it is easily overlooked when the flowers are closed, only revealing
its presence when the sun opens the flowers.
It should therefore be planted in a well drained spot that receives
maximum winter sunshine. It
is also possible to grow it in grass. One year we had a surplus of bulbs and I
planted some under the trees at the bottom of the garden where the bright blue
autumn crocus, C.speciosus, does so well.
Although it has grown well and flowers profusely each year it doesn't
really make much of a display as it sensibly keeps its head well down among the
leaves. It is one of those plants that you have to go and look for. It is much
better on the rock garden bank. C.
laevigatus 'Fontenayi' is a
very hardy, even the flowers will survive many days of unbroken frost,
and long lived crocus. My original clump is now over 25 years old and is
increasing steadily. It certainly deserves to be much more widely known.
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