a sign autmn is on it's way

qahtan · September 12, 2011, 16:30:26

qahtan

qahtan · September 12, 2011, 16:30:26

grannyjanny · September 12, 2011, 16:32:41

They look beautiful, but then anything in purple I'm a sucker for ;D.

brown thumb · September 12, 2011, 16:45:09

i have ;one; where did it come from? and what is it

Linnea · September 12, 2011, 17:16:22

it's a colchicum (common name: autumn crocus) where it came from - no idea, I've never had any appear without me planting them
they're lovely. I have many in my garden and agree with grannyjanny about being a sucker for anything purple!

galina · September 12, 2011, 17:23:14

Heard on the radio this morning that they have just developed an experimental cancer drug from Autumn Crocus that only attaches to cancer and does not kill other cells, unlike chemo. Thanks for showing a picture of the plant. Very pretty.

Digeroo · September 12, 2011, 17:30:12

And then you can take out the yellow bit and you have saffron but do not eat the corms they are toxic.

Flighty · September 12, 2011, 18:27:20

Lovely, but they're a bit early aren't they!

cornykev · September 12, 2011, 18:38:00

I have a pair of purple pants. :P

pumkinlover · September 12, 2011, 18:45:06

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchicum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus

The way I remember is colchicum 6 anthers, crocus 3 anthers

Sad isn't it! ;)

tim · September 14, 2011, 08:08:46

Ours have been & gone.

brown thumb · September 14, 2011, 15:23:53

i have crocus planted in the same spot so perhaps a stray bulb was mixed in with them

gavinjconway · September 29, 2011, 18:36:36

I dont need crocuses to tell me Autumn is on the way.... My 2 cats sleeping on the bed in the late afternoon sunshine!!

Robert_Brenchley · September 29, 2011, 19:48:15

Egremont russet falling off the tree is sign enough for me!

Ruth Rocket · September 30, 2011, 23:56:22

A sign that Autumn is on the way:
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2011-1/september/30/gravesend_sizzles.aspx
Ha!

LesH · October 02, 2011, 19:43:50

My idea that autumn is on its way is when I prune the Glen Moy (summer fruiting raspberries) and that is what I have done in the last week.

Spudbash · October 02, 2011, 19:59:38

WARNING: According to the article I read earlier, ALL parts of meadow saffron are poisonous, unlike the stamens of the saffron crocus. Meadow saffron is a member of the colchicum family, rather than the iris family, as the saffron crocus is.

I don't know whether others consider the stamens of meadow saffron safe to eat and I haven't tried them myself, but I thought it fair to pass on what I've read.

I would post a link to the article I read, which was in the gardening section of yesterday's Daily Telegraph, but it hasn't been uploaded yet.

Spudbash :)

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