THE FUTURE OF THE COLCHICUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20318, 28 January 1928, Page 3

THE FUTURE OF THE COLCHICUM.

A writer in a recent issue of the Gardeners’ Chronicle discusses in an interesting'manner the changes in the characteristics of this old-time favourite in English gardens. Dike many other wellknown garden favourites the colchicum has followed their development in improved form and in variety of colours hitherto unknown. It is not easy to imagine, however, anything more striking in colour than a fine bed of the old autumn-flowering meadow saffron, to give the colchicum its popular name. The writer of these few introductory lines has in mind a splendid bed in a Dunedin garden which year after year dazzles the eye with, its mass of rich colour, the flowers followed as the weeks progress by a wonderful growth of leaves of large size, attractive too in their own way, but requiring much space to attain to full development. But we must let the correspondent of our horticultural contemporary speak for himself. It is evident that there has been within recent years a much higher appreciation of the value of the autumn-flowering Colchicums, or Meadow Saffrons, for the garden. The old C. autumnale, which is wonderfully attractive in masses in grass, has been cast into the shade by many new varieties. And now there is offered in the Dutch market a series of named Colchicums, apparently the pioneers of a small army of Meadow Saffrons of what will, doubtless, be superior to existing forms. This development will be viewed with mixed feelings by those who admire the Colchicum, but who will be dismayed to think of the task they-may have to encounter in keeping pace with the novelties. With numbers of other flowers the gardener, unless he makes a speciality of a few kinds of plants, has to consider his desire to keep his collection of the improved varieties as hopeless and beyond either his means or his garden's capacity. The daffodil is a case in point, although an extreme one, as the Colchicum will never become so popular as that incomparable flower, but it may serve as an illustration of my meaning. If the, daffodil is thought too extreme a case let us turn to the crocus, a race in which the older and popular varieties which held the field so long have been threatened with exclusion by the improved varieties. Of the latter there are now so many that choice is difficult, and the endeavour to keep up with the times more difficult still. It has been the same with many other flowers, bulbous and non-bulbous, and now the Colchicum is about to present the same problem. I hope it will not be thought that I am opposed to new varieties which are improvements upon old ones. This is not the case, and I am testing a few of the new Colchicums this season, so as to see for myself if they acid to the beauty of the garden more than the old species and their few varieties. It would be interesting and also of some value if the origin (as to parentage, if seedlings or selected varieties from the several species) could be stated. Somewhere about a dozen varieties are offered under such names as President Coolidge, Rubens, General Grant, and Lilac Queen, and some are credited with an award of merit, probably from the Dutch Bulbgrowers’ Association, IVIy excuse for this note is that of a life-long interest in the Colchicum and its value in the garden. I observe that otic British catalogue offers no fewer than sixteen varieties. What appears to be the most distinct is a double variety named Water Lily, which is said to have light lilac-mauve flowers. It will be of interest to see whether the growing taste for the Golchicuras is such at? to absorb readily so many new varieties in one year.