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Colchicum 'Premier'
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

meadow saffron 'Lilac Wonder'

'Lilac Wonder' is a robust, free-flowering cormous perennial 15cm high with semi-erect, narrowly ovate leaves, 18-25cm long, from winter to spring, and 4-10 goblet-shaped flowers, 4-6cm long, with narrow, deep lilac-pink tepals and golden anthers, in autumn; colchicums are a useful late-season source of pollen for honeybees

Other common names
meadow saffron 'Premier'
Synonyms
Colchicum 'Premier'

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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
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 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
  • 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 affected by grey moulds (Botrytis), smuts, and tulip grey bulb rot

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