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Crocus

Crocus vernus
Also known as: Dutch Crocus, Giant Crocus

Crocus is a flower in the Iridaceae family. It grows best in full sun to part shade with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 3-8. Plants sit about 4 inches apart.

Varieties

1 · sorted by days to maturity
  • Crocus

    PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Corm (not currently in seed catalog). Bloom season: Late winter to early spring. Attracts: Bees. Flower meaning: Cheerfulness, youth.

    Crocus is one of the earliest spring bloomers, often pushing through snow with cup-shaped flowers in purple, yellow, white and striped forms. Plant corms 3" deep and 3-6" apart in fall.

    Growing notes: Botanical name: Crocus vernus|Hardiness zones: 3-8|Propagation: corm|Sun needs: Full sun to part shade|Water needs: Medium|Mature height: 3-6 inches|Spacing: 4 inches|Bloom season: Late winter to early spring

Family
Iridaceae
Category
Flower
Form
Bulb
Lifecycle
perennial
Zone
3-8
Height
0.25–0.5 ft
Spread
0.16666666666666666–0.3333333333333333 ft
Sun
Full sun to part shade

Plant spacing

9 plants per square footSquare-foot planting diagram: a 1-foot square divided into a 3-by-3 grid holding 9 crocus plants spaced 4 inches apart.
9 plants per square foot

In a square-foot bed, space crocus about 4 in apart — that fits 9 plants in each 1-foot square (3×3). Wider rows or containers space the same.

Water
Medium

Plan your crocus planting

Add crocus to a free GardenDraft plan and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.

Start your free plan →

Growing timeline

Propagation
Corm
Schedule anchor
First Frost

Care & troubleshooting

No curated care & troubleshooting advice for crocus yet. Our extension-sourced library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.