A Gardeners guide to Crocus

Crocus are one of our favourite bulbs and nor is a great time to plant them, we grow them in pots and containers as well as in the garden and even naturalised into the lawn.

The article 'A Gardeners guide to Crocus' by Marcus Harvey Includes crocus for Australian gardeners and a look at the new book Janis Ruksans, titled, Crocuses : a complete guide to the genus. Marcus Harvey of Hill View Rare Plants holds Australia's largest collection of crocus species. 

Many of these wonderful plants are available from his nursery Hill View Rare Plants. Marcus provides us with an introduction to the genus including notes on those most suited to Australian conditions.

Janis Ruksans' is a Latvian Bulb expert and his book, Crocuses : a complete guide to the genus is perhaps the definitive guide to the genus. 

If you are interested in a good read and gardening try his book Buried Treasures : finding and growing the world's choicest bulbs, a bit of intrigue, a bit of travelogue and some great stories bulbs, bulb collecting and how to grow them, it would make a great gift (but buy two copies or read it yourself first) Try Florilegium Bookstore for the books. 

To read the full article on crocus with some recomendations for the Ausstralian garden visit the web site

Daffodil Time - Well at least its time to plant the bulbs....

Now is a great time to start browsing the Daffodil Catalogues Online and checking out some of the more interesting ones available. Daffodils are all Narcissus species and the flower is characterised by a central trumpet, or round shaped corona surrounded by a ring of six floral petals called the perianth. Did you know that the daffodil is national flower of Wales!  So you might be after a few dozen 'Tete a Tete' to plant in groups for the garden border. Or you might be looking for something a little more exotic, perhaps one of the species such as Narcissus Viridiflorus with its fasctinating thin green petals, or perhaps the 'Hoop Petticoat' Narcissus Citrinus with its lemon flowers (try Tonkins Bulbs) or perhaps the really rare Narcissus waiteri form Hill View Rare Plants. You can find them all and lots more in the catalogues on our Daffodil Bulbs Page

Or Perhaps it's really Tulip Time... Check out the Tulip Catalogues

Snowdrops and Snowflakes

Snowdrops and Snowflakes are both very desirable bulbs for the garden, they do however grow in different conditions and have different flowering habits, amongst the two groups we also have lots of different species, varieties and impoved cultivars.

Marcus Harvey from Hillview Rare plants provides us with a great rundown on the difference between the two, Snowdrops and Snowflakes and we learn about growing conditions.
Read the Full Article at Nurseries Online