Colchicum 'The Giant'
meadow saffron 'The Giant'
'The Giant' is a robust cormous perennial 20cm high with semi-erect, narrowly ovate leaves, 18-25cm long, from winter to spring, and a succession of up to 5 somewhat goblet-shaped flowers, up to 8cm long, with lightly tessellated tepals which are purple-violet with white bases, in autumn; colchicums are a useful late-season source of pollen for honeybees
Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metresTime to ultimate height
2–5 yearsUltimate spread
0.1–0.5 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drainedpH
Acid, Alkaline, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | ||||
| Autumn | Pink Purple White | |||
| Winter | Green |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered Hardiness
H5Botanical details
- Family
- Colchicaceae
- Native to the UK
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Potentially harmful
- TOXIC if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
- Genus
Colchicum are cormous perennials with usually coarse, broadly strap-shaped leaves which appear with or after the goblet-shaped flowers
- Name status
Accepted
How to grow
Cultivation
Using gloves to handle corms, plant 10cm deep in summer or early autumn in deep, fertile and well-drained but moisture-retentive soil in an open site in full sun; for more advice, see bulb cultivation
Propagation
Propagate by removing cormlets when dormant in summer; for more advice, see bulb propagation
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- Patio and container plants
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Gravel garden
- Rock garden
- Low Maintenance
- Flower borders and beds
- Underplanting of roses and shrubs
- Wall side borders
Pruning
No pruning required
Pests
May be susceptible to slugs
Diseases
May be susceptible to grey moulds (Botrytis), smuts, and tulip grey bulb rot
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.