A jewel of the autumn rock garden, Colchicum bivonae produces elegant goblet-shaped flowers in shades of rose to deep lilac, often marked with subtle tessellations and this particular sport I found has pale margins. Each bloom emerges leafless from the ground in early to mid-autumn, lending a surprise note of color to fading garden scenes. The narrow leaves appear in spring and die back in early summer, completing the cycle of this charming Mediterranean bulb.
Native to southern Italy and Sicily, where it inhabits grassy clearings, stony slopes, and open woodland edges, this species thrives in sharply drained soils and full sun to part shade. It is well suited to the rock garden, raised beds, or alpine troughs, particularly where summer baking is the norm. In wetter climates, a gravel mulch or planting on a slope helps prevent bulb rot during dormancy.
Plant bulbs in late summer or early autumn, 10–15 cm deep. Hardy to USDA zone 6, possibly lower with good drainage and winter protection. A quietly dramatic plant that brings refined color and structure when most other flowers have faded.
A jewel of the autumn rock garden, Colchicum bivonae produces elegant goblet-shaped flowers in shades of rose to deep lilac, often marked with subtle tessellations and this particular sport I found has pale margins. Each bloom emerges leafless from the ground in early to mid-autumn, lending a surprise note of color to fading garden scenes. The narrow leaves appear in spring and die back in early summer, completing the cycle of this charming Mediterranean bulb.
Native to southern Italy and Sicily, where it inhabits grassy clearings, stony slopes, and open woodland edges, this species thrives in sharply drained soils and full sun to part shade. It is well suited to the rock garden, raised beds, or alpine troughs, particularly where summer baking is the norm. In wetter climates, a gravel mulch or planting on a slope helps prevent bulb rot during dormancy.
Plant bulbs in late summer or early autumn, 10–15 cm deep. Hardy to USDA zone 6, possibly lower with good drainage and winter protection. A quietly dramatic plant that brings refined color and structure when most other flowers have faded.
