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How to Plant and Grow Crocuses: Early Spring Color That Critters Leave Alone

Photo Credit
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Crocus
Plant Type
Bulbs
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Part Sun
Bloom Time
Spring
Winter
Flower Color
Blue
Orange
Pink
Purple
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8

These cold-hardypollinator-friendly bulbs pop through snownaturalize beautifullyand bring the first bright colors of spring.

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Just when winter seems determined to linger forevercrocuses prove it doesn’t stand a chance. These tiny but mighty spring bulbs push straight through snow and frozen soil to deliver a burst of color when your garden needs it most. Even better? Crocuses are largely ignored by deersquirrelsand rabbits—making them one of the most rewarding low-maintenance blooms you can plant. From fragrant snow crocuses to bold Dutch varietieshere’s everything you need to know to plantgrowand enjoy these early-spring showstoppers year after year.

About Crocuses

From snow crocuses (the first to bloom) to giant Dutch crocusesall just 2 to 4 inches tallthese blooms offer a variety of colors (bluesorangespinkspurplesredsyellowsand more) that stand out against the bleak late-winter landscape. Many have strong perfumes that lure bees out of their hives in February or Marchtooproviding the pollinators with an important early-spring food source.

Crocuses not only provide winter garden color but also naturalizemeaning that they spread and come back year after year—with minimal care—for an ever-larger display. As a bonusdeersquirrelsand rabbits rarely bother early little crocus corms.

Read Next

Planting

Where to Plant Crocuses

Crocuses do best in a spot that gets full sun (6+ hours of direct sunlight)but will grow in partial sun as well. Choose a planting site where there is well-draining soil; the corms will rot in soggycompacted ground. Before plantingwork in organic matter such as compost to a depth of at least 10 inches.

When to Plant Crocuses

  • Crocuses need to experience an extended period of cold weather in order to bloomso plant them in the fall to get spring blooms.
  • Before the ground freezes in the fallcrocus corms can be planted most anywhereexcept in the dense shade on the north side of buildings or under thickets.
  • Ideallyplant crocus corms 6 to 8 weeks before a hard frost is expected in the fall and when the soil temperature is below 60°F (16°C). This is usually during September or October in the northern U.S. and Canadaand October or November in the southern United States.

How to Plant Crocuses

  • Plant crocus corms 3 to 4 inches deep (with the pointy end up). After plantingwater well.
  • Plant bulbs in groups or clusters rather than spacing them in a single line along a walkway or border. Single flowers get lost in the landscape. Plant a few inches apartand plant in groups of 10 or more.
  • Consider planting crocuses in lawns and meadows where they can form carpetsor mass them in the front of flower beds along the edge.
  • Plant taller spring-flowering bulbs and shrubs behind the early bulbs for color contrast.

→ Learn more about planting fall bulbs.

Crocus field
A carpet of crocuses makes for a wonderful spring sight!

Growing

  • Apply a balanced fertilizer in early autumn if your spring is short and the days heat up fast; or apply fertilizer after bulbs flower in late winter if your spring is long and temperate. The crocuses will have a chance to use the extra nutrients to produce bigger carbohydrate stores.
  • Through the autumnkeep crocus beds watered if the weather gets drybut do not waterlog the soil. Cover the beds with mulch before the winter.
  • In late Februaryremove heavy mulches from snowdrops and crocuses so that the shoots can come through. Leave a light layer of leaves to provide late-season protection from frost.
  • In February and Marchkeep plastic milk jugs or other coverings on hand to protect the flowers of crocuses and other early bloomers against the return of severe weather.
  • If you have crocuses growing in your lawn in mid-springdon’t mow until their leaves have died down.

Types

  • ‘Bowles White’ produces white flowers with deep golden yellow throats in early spring. It grows 2 to 3 inches tall.
  • ’Flower Record’ has single pale violet flowers in spring to early summer. It grows 4 to 5 inches tall.
  • ’Pickwick’ is a striped crocus with alternating pale and dark lilac and dark purple bases. It’s 4 to 5 inches tall and blooms in spring to early summer.
  • ’Tricolor Crocus’ is a beauty. Each narrow flower has three distinct bands of lilacwhiteand golden yellow. It grows 3 inches tall and blooms in late winter and early spring.
  • ’Purpureus Grandiflorus’ has an abundance violet flowers with purple bases. It grows 4 to 5 inches tall and blooms spring to early summer.
Crocuses in Snow
Crocuses peeking up through the snow.

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

  • Micevolesand squirrels may feed on the corms. If they are a problemconsider planting crocuses in buried wire cages.
  • Birds sometimes pick off the flowers.
  • Corms in storage are prone to rot and molds if kept too moist.

Wit and Wisdom

And all the woods are alive with the murmur and sound of Spring,
And the rose-bud breaks into pink on the climbing briar,
And the crocus-bed is a quivering moon of fire
Girdled round with the belt of an amethyst ring.
–Oscar Wilde

Bulbs
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.comthe website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardeningplantspest controlsoil compositionseasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Newgardener</span> Sun02/22/2026 - 21:48
I’m confused! You write“As a bonusdeersquirrelsand rabbits rarely bother early little crocus corms.” But then under Pests/Diseasestowards the end of the articleyou write that they get eaten be squirrels! So do they or do they not got eaten? I have all kinds of wildlife and realized that I can not plant so many flowers and plants since I don’t have a fence around my yard. I don’t want to spend $$ and then they get eaten up like I have in the past years….

Reply to comment

 <span>Vickie Hart</span> Wed10/02/2024 - 17:12
My crocus are stems are coming back up now (end September). This happened last year but never bloomed. It looks like I have weeds in need to pull. Any suggestions? -

Reply to comment

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu10/03/2024 - 09:44

Hi Vickie,

Soour assumption is that the crocus flowers you are talking about are the spring blooming variety that already flowered earlier this year. There are fall blooming varieties as wellbut them coming up at this point of the season would not be abnormal. 

It is rather unusual for crocuses to emerge a second time in a season given they need to experience an extended period of cold weather in order to bloom.

Since they did not bloom last yearis there a chance that it is in fact something else emerging (like a late-season weed) in the same area? Regardlessyou can wait for them to die back and remove later in the season so the area is nice and tidy for when the crocuses come back in the spring.

Hope this helps!

Reply to comment

 <span>Alan Cooper</span> Fri04/05/2024 - 17:17
Can people who are allergic to pollin in flowers have a problem with crocuses?

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<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue04/09/2024 - 11:08

Dear Alan,

While it's possible that someone who is allergic to pollen may have an issue with crocusesthey do appear on lists of plants recommended for pollen-allergy sufferers.

The Missouri Botanical Garden offers a robust resource for the best treesshrubsand grasses for allergy sufferers.

—The Editors

Reply to comment

 <span>Su</span> Thu09/28/2023 - 11:32
Hi I want to plant crocus daffodils bulbs in my lawn. How do I prevent crocus from spreading to my neighbours lawn? Thanks, Su

Reply to comment

 <span>Linda Rossi</span> Thu03/02/2023 - 09:20
Just bought bulbs and want to know can I plant them now and they will take 3/:23

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<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Fri03/03/2023 - 16:42

You could certainly plant thembut unless they have been pre-chilledthey are unlikely to bloom this year. They should still produce leavesthoughwhich will set them up nicely for blooming next spring.

Reply to comment

 <span>Bernard Nuber</span> Mon03/14/2022 - 14:51
Last fall I planted Saffron Crocus for the first time. I planted them in a large potout doors. They grew finebloomed and I even got several stigmas from them. Once the flowers diedthe plants produced a grass like growth. It's about 10 to 12 inches long. Do I need to trim this growth back or should I leave it alone? Like I said they are new to my gardenand I would like them to grow back. Thanks for any info anyone can give me.

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 <span>Angelasnyder.a…</span> Thu01/05/2023 - 13:30
Bernardas with all bulbs you want to leave the leaves alone until they die back so the corms can gather energy from the sun and they will come back and possibly naturalize in your garden depending on where you are and your growing conditions. Once the leaves have died back then you can cut the old foliage down to the ground. A bulb fertilizer will help them grow better if you fertilizeI believeafter the blooms are done. Happy gardening!

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