suddenly

Today is day 1 for this autumn's showing of Crocus speciosus. This is one of the plants that I put in the garden to get me excited that it is fall. It helps me overcome the feeling of the pending doom of winter. There are many fall-blooming crocuses, and it is a shame that the spring bloomers get all the attention. Of the fall bloomers, Crocus speciosus is common, but that doesn't stop it from being my favorite (so far).

When blossoms appear, they emerge literally overnight, so that they are always a surprise. One day it is bare ground, and the next the blooms are open. If you are a very careful observer, and have the time to sit in the garden each morning as the sun rises at this time of year, you might catch them emerging out of the ground. It's curious that I have a half dozen blooms today, where yesterday there were none. How do they know to coordinate their blooms to the same day?

The flowers last only a few days, but the corms usually produce at least a few blossoms each, so the show is prolonged. Each blossom is at least twice the size of dutch crocuses, of a luminous color and a shape that catches the light of the sun so that they become glowing bowls of blue. You can't miss them in the garden.

They are worth anticipating in the fall.