Crocuses : A complete guide to the genus

Winsome, charming, and brilliant are just three of the adjectives that crocuses typically elicit from grateful, color-starved gardeners. Indeed, few flowers can rival crocuses for the cheer they bring to the barren, late-winter garden and for the affection in which they are held by millions of gardeners. But though they’re viewed as an icon of early spring, crocuses aren’t just one-season wonders: there are also dozens of striking autumn-blooming species that appear just when they’re most needed, as summer’s flowers wind down. And because many species originate in the Mediterranean basin, they’re ideal for gardens in which summer irrigation has been reduced or eliminated.