Gift that became an obsession — Crocus

Someone gave me Crocus as a birthday gift and I barely knew what it was. Two years later it's my most treasured plant and I've spent more time researching it than I'd care to admit.

The key discovery was adding grit to the planting hole in heavy clay soils — once that clicked, the plant transformed. some of the earliest colour in the garden after winter is what gets mentioned every time anyone visits. I keep it in a naturalised lawn planting for a wild spring effect which works perfectly. earliest crocuses and snowdrops emerging in late winter is when I understand why this plant has such devoted followers. squirrel and mouse predation on newly planted bulbs is the one ongoing challenge but it's worth the effort.