Planting Time

• Garden centers sell spring-blooming bulbs and corms in the fall. These bulbs require a period of exposure to cold weather to go into dormancy. Warmer weather in the spring signals the crocus corm to come out of dormancy and start growing. To get your crocus corms in the ground before the soil freezes or becomes too wet to work, plant them sometime in early fall.
  
  

How and Where to Plant

• Crocus corms should be planted in an area of your yard that receives full sun or is only partially shaded. The plant will not do well in heavy shade. If your soil doesn't drain well, amend it with a little sand or compost. Plant the corms about 3 inches apart and 3 inches deep, with the pointy side up. Scatter the corms rather than planting in rows to achieve an informal look. Planting three to five corms in one hole makes the flowers look like a bouquet when they bloom.
  
  

Crocus Care

• Crocuses don't require much care. Water them when the soil looks dry and feed them with a plant food specifically intended for bulbs when the foliage first emerges. Once your crocuses stop blooming, don't cut them back. The leaves need to stay on the plant to produce energy for next year's flowers. If you cut the leaves back before they turn yellow, you will weaken the plant and it may not bloom the following year.
  
  

Forcing Crocus

• To have a pot of crocus flowers in your home during winter, force them to grow earlier than they would outside. In early October, plant several crocus corms with the pointy end up in a pot of loose soil. Leave the pointy ends exposed. Place the pot somewhere cold (32 to 48 degrees F) for at least 12 weeks. Then, move the pot to a sunny window where the temperature stays 50 to 60 degrees F. When the first shoots emerge, move the pot to a bright location in your home. Always keep the soil moist.