Crocus 'Snow Bunting'
Words: Graham Rice
Crocus 'Snow Bunting' was created almost a hundred years ago, in 1914, but it still one of the best spring-flowering crocuses available.
Out of 172 spring flowering species crocuses grown in the recent Wisley trial, only 12 were considered good enough to receive the award. And Crocus ‘Snow Bunting’ was one of the best of that select group.
Reaching just 7.5cm (3in) high and more ivory in colour than pure white, the flowers have a rich gold heart and a light feathering of greyish purple at the base of the petals on the outside. The orange anthers add a fiery spark.
The experts who judged the trial over four years were impressed. “Attractive and floriferous,” they reported and they also remarked that Crocus ‘Snow Bunting’ “has proven its worth over many years”. As well as being colourful, prolific and reliable its other special feature is that it increases vigorously. Given a site in full sun and in well drained soil, if it is simply left alone it will spread into an impressive clump flowering generously each spring in February and March. It will also grow in grass.
Crocus ‘Snow Bunting’ is one of the crocuses raised by the great plantsman E. A. Bowles at his garden at Myddelton House, near Enfield in Middlesex. He developed a number of crocus hybrids from C. biflorus and C. chrysanthus and named them for birds - ‘Golden Pheasant’, ‘Golden Plover’, ‘Kittiwake’ and ‘Blue Jay’ were others – but only ‘Snow Bunting’ is still available. It first received an Award of Garden Merit in 1993 and its success in the recent trial confirms its quality.