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Gardening

Crocuses

(13 Posts)
Luckygirl Tue 19-Sep-17 13:35:52

I have a conifer type tree and nothing wishes to grow under it - no rain, no light etc. Might crocuses be OK there?

aggie Tue 19-Sep-17 14:10:09

Crocus seem to like growing in open areas , like in the Links at Leith , so I doubt they would like under the conifer . The ground will be very impoverished too , if you are in one of those conifer growing fields not much else is growing

Nonnie Tue 19-Sep-17 14:34:15

I think I've seen snowdrops in the shade but this is the wrong time of year to plant them.

aggie Tue 19-Sep-17 14:40:45

Maybe you could plant up some pots/containers with crocus and position them under the conifer when they flower

Icyalittle Tue 19-Sep-17 14:57:27

Aggie, crocuses definitely need the sun to open. But I have a big conifer and cyclamen seem to thrive under it - the autumn flowering ones, cyclamen hederifolium. They self-seed and naturalise very happily, and provide an absolute carpet of their glamorous pink from now through to Christmas and the New Year. Many of them are scented too. Cyclamen Coum come a bit later, towards the end of winter, but they need a bit of moisture to thrive.

Icyalittle Tue 19-Sep-17 14:59:05

These are completely under a huge willow.

Icyalittle Tue 19-Sep-17 15:00:06

So sorry, I meant Luckygirl of course!

Luckygirl Tue 19-Sep-17 15:13:30

I think the best thing I can do is to give it a try and if it fails I can lift them and replant.

shysal Tue 19-Sep-17 15:19:34

I am not sure about crocuses. What have been successful for me underneath some Cotoneaster Horizontalis are Anemone Blanda. The bulbs are on sale now (cheap on Ebay) and they flower in late spring, in my case with primroses which is a lovely colour combination.

lemongrove Tue 19-Sep-17 15:22:59

Lovely icyalittle ?

lemongrove Tue 19-Sep-17 15:23:41

Nothing much thrives under conifers.My DH calls them Lucifers.

Luckygirl Tue 19-Sep-17 16:10:12

Would it even help to cut it down? Presumably the root system would still be there.

Maranta Tue 19-Sep-17 16:56:41

I was going to suggest Cyclamen too. They seem to survive complete shade. I would get rid of the conifer if it were possible, hate the bl***y things, but I suppose ok in the right place.