A bit of fresh golden yellow corn for the autumn rock garden or border is provided by cheery cups of Sternbergia lutea.
This tiny bulbous plant has long remained an overlooked possibility, even more so than the autumn crocuses and colchicums. Unlike the autumn crocus, which it somewhat resembles,
Sternbergia develops its foliage shortly before it blooms, adding to the beauty of the richly-textured flowers which usually come forth in mid-September.
Plant the bulbs 3″ inches deep in well-drained soil in late August, where they will have full sun.
Autumn-Flowering Crocuses
Autumn-flowering crocuses are all too little known in American gardens, and yet one of them, the saffron crocus, C. sativus, has been grown and cherished as a useful drug and dye for over two thousand years.
Lilac coloring with bright orange segments flower after the foliage has disappeared.
Hence, they are used to best advantage with hosta and other foliage plants in the shrub border or the perennial garden.
While they provide gay color in the autumn rock garden, the foliage produced in spring turns yellow and fades slowly.
Colchicums
Like so many fairy chalices or slender stemmed goblets, the colchicums make the autumn garden gay with shades of violet, rosy purple, and tints of mauve and white.
Also known as meadow saffron, this fall-blooming corn is often incorrectly called autumn crocus though it differs in structure from the crocus and belongs to the lily family.
The crocus is an Irid. Bulbs purchased in August will produce flowers in a few weeks. Give them a sunny location and set them 2″ inches deep.
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