Colchicum autumnale 'Pleniflorum' (d)

RHS Plant Profile

meadow saffron 'Pleniflorum'

Synonyms

Colchicum autumnale 'Roseum Plenum'
Colchicum autumnale 'Plenum'

Bulbs

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A robust, free-flowering cormous perennial 15cm high with strap-shaped leaves, to 35cm long, from winter to spring, and 1-6 neat, rounded double flowers, 4-6cm long, with narrow, pinkish-lilac tepals to 7cm long and golden anthers, in autumn; colchicums are a useful late-season source of pollen for honeybees

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0-0.1 metre

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0-0.1 metre
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–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 handlingif 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: Unresolved

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

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds (Botrytis), smuts, and tulip grey bulb rot