Colchicum 'Giant'

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meadow saffron 'Giant'

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meadow saffron 'Giant' RHS
meadow saffron 'Giant' RHS

Synonyms

Colchicum 'The Giant'
Colchicum speciosum 'Leith Vale Seedling'

Plants for pollinators
Bulbs
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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

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Colchicaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Potentially harmful
TOXIC if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling TOXIC to pets - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
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

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Rock garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • 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