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Colchicum 'Giant'
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

meadow saffron 'Giant'

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

Synonyms
Colchicum 'The Giant'
Colchicum speciosum 'Leith Vale Seedling'
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Size
Ultimate height
0.1–0.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0.1–0.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
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
H5
Botanical 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 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

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