When to plant and prune Autumn crocus (colchicum)
Autumn crocus (colchicum) flowers from early September to late October and the dates below cover planting and flowering.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Autumn crocus (colchicum) is timed from the average frost dates, so its timings shift across the UK. Plot works them out from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early August to late October | early September to late October |
| South Coast and Channel | late July to mid October | early September to late October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early August to late October | early September to late October |
| South East and Home Counties | mid July to early October | early September to late October |
| East Anglia | early July to late September | early September to late October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early July to late September | early September to late October |
| Wales and West Coast | mid July to early October | early September to late October |
| Northern England | late June to mid September | early September to late October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | mid June to mid September | early September to late October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late May to late August | early September to late October |
| Northern Ireland | mid July to early October | early September to late October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early August to late October | early September to late October |
Growing notes
Depth: wearing gloves, plant corms 10cm deep in summer or early autumn. Despite the common name it is not a crocus: the goblet flowers appear leafless in early autumn and the large, coarse leaves follow in spring and take until early summer to die back, so give it space where that untidiness is acceptable. Move only when fully dormant.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 15 cm
- Eventual spread
- 10 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 10 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
Pruning group
No pruning needed; the leaves appear in spring after the flowers and must be left to die back
What usually goes wrong
- large untidy spring foliage
- flowers flopping in wet weather
- rot in soil that stays wet in summer
- slugs on flowers
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for autumn crocus (colchicum).