Wherever you live, I hope you’re able to enjoy the beautiful blooms of those fall perennials called Colchicum.
I love Colchicum and have grown them in my gardens for many years. Colchicum produces such cheerful colors when most other plants have faded and are going dormant. Many of mine are from Brent and Becky's in Gloucester, Virginia. I am so happy these plants are flourishing and have multiplied in numbers.
Here are some photos of my colchicum and some of the other blooms and interesting plants growing in the garden right now, enjoy.
Guests that come around this time of year often ask, “what are those flowers that look like crocus?” The common name for Colchicum is autumn crocus, but they are not true autumn crocus because there are many species of true crocus which are autumn blooming. Also, Colchicum flowers have six stamens while crocuses have only three.
Colchicum is a member of the botanical family Colchicaceae and is native to West Asia, Europe, parts of the Mediterranean coast, down the East African coast to South Africa and the Western Cape.
Colchicum corms are pretty large, with waxy, dark-brown, leathery skin. When selecting Colchicum corms, look for ones that are firm, dense, and heavy. We planted a number of colchicum corms several years ago at the edge of my Stewartia Garden. I also have them growing along my front carriage road and a few in my White Garden. These corms from Brent and Becky’s have done excellently.
The scientific name comes from Colchis, a region on the coast of the Black Sea. The name Colchicum alludes to the poisonous qualities of the species. The plant contains an alkaloid known as colchicine, which is found in all parts, but mostly in the seeds. Colchicum typically blooms from September to November. This is among the largest of colchicum varieties, ‘Giant,’ with its bright lilac colored flowers and white centers.
Once open, Colchicums produce goblet-like blooms in shades of pink, violet, or white. They are large striking flower heads, with white at the base leading to pale pink at the apex.
Some of the varieties we’ve planted at the farm include ‘Lilac Wonder’, ‘Waterlily’, ‘Dick Trotter’, Colchicum byzantinum, and Colchicum bornmuelleri. This one is “Waterlily” – a double petaled cultivar in soft pink.
Here’s a closer look at ‘Waterlily’. ‘Waterlily’ is a hybrid resulting from a cross of Colchicum autumnale ‘Alboplenum’ and Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’. Each flower resembles the form of a water lily, hence the cultivar name.
When the weather is mild, colchicum’s flowers begin to unfurl. Most Colchicum plants produce their flowers without any foliage. This is why these flowers were first known by the common name “naked boys.” In the Victorian era, they were also called “naked ladies.”
Colchicums are quite delicate but spread nicely in the autumn garden. Colchicum is a good pollen source for bees in fall when little else is available for them. And, because Colchicums are toxic, they provide a natural way to repel animals such as deer, mice, squirrels, and moles. This variety has reddish violet flowers and is one of the darkest colors of this group.
This white variety is growing in my White Garden just outside my Winter House. It’s called ‘Album’ and has large, bright, vase-shaped blooms.
This variety is called Colchicum byzantinum. It is an early fall-blooming Colchicum which bears up to 20 small, funnel-shaped, soft lilac flowers that are four to six inches long.
Colchicum is best grown in a sheltered spot that enjoys afternoon sun because this encourages a good succession of wide-open flowers.
Colchicum corms should be planted six to nine inches apart, but don’t worry – look how plentiful they grow once established.
Colchicum looks great clustered together. Planting in groups will create many colorful patches.
Over the years, they’ve multiplied in numbers here at the farm. These line the carriage road near my front gate. I love how they dot the garden with pops of bright pink. And If we’re lucky, some of these blooms will last into November.
Also flourishing – my epimediums. Epimediums are long-lived and easy to grow and have such attractive and varying foliage. Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop’s hat, and horny goat weed, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae.
Look at the clematis holding strong. This variety is called ‘Eyers Gift.’ It has stunning star-shaped flowers with unique, blue to deep purple coloring, cream stamens and dark anthers.
On one edge of the Stewartia Garden is Cotoneaster ‘Tom Thumb.’ This shrub features extending branches with glossy, dark green leaves. In winter, it has large, red fruit berries that brighten up the landscape.
I have many ferns at the farm. This one, Athyrium filix-femina ‘Victoriae’ came from my home in East Hampton. I planted three of them here in the garden.
Look at its unique form – the medium-sized clump of feathery green leaves with leaflets forked or crested into a tassel and arranged in an interesting crisscross pattern.
Growing just outside my flower garden are these charming anemones still in bloom. Also known as Japanese thimbleweed, Japanese anemone, Anemone hupehensis, is a tall, stately perennial that produces saucer-shaped flowers in shades of creamy pink to pure white, each with a green button in the center. Look for blooms to appear throughout summer and fall, often until the first frost.
And here are some white anemones blooming in my Stewartia garden. Although Japanese anemone plants tolerate full sunlight, they appreciate a lightly shaded area where they are protected from intense afternoon heat and sun. What flowers are still blooming in your gardens? Share with me in the comments section below.
If you're ever in the New York City area, please plan a visit to Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, about 45-minutes outside Manhattan - it is one of my favorite places.
Stone Barns Center is a four-season nonprofit farm and educational facility whose mission is to celebrate year-round farm-to-table agriculture and to promote the connection between farming and eating. The center works to increase awareness of seasonal and sustainable food, trains farmers in restorative farming techniques, educates children about edible sources, and prepares them to be stewards of the land. Last weekend, I attended Stone Barn's annual Harvest Feast, a one-of-a-kind outdoor meal hosted by the center's farmers and chefs. This event offers visitors a tour of the farm’s growing spaces and a feast of small bites, plated dishes, and beverages by Blue Hill at Stone Barns owned by renowned chef, Dan Barber.
It was a beautiful day and a wonderful event, enjoy these photos. And please go to their web site for more information - there are still tickets available for Harvest Feast this weekend!
Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture is a laboratory dedicated to improving and spreading resilient and sustainable farming practices. The Center was originally created on 80-acres of property, but also incorporates more than 300 additional acres for livestock grazing. Stone Barns Center occupies these beautiful interconnected Norman-style farm buildings, which were originally built by John D. Rockefeller in the early 1930s for use as a dairy farm. (Photo by David Hechler for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
After his wife, Peggy, died in 1996, it was David Rockefeller’s wish to turn the property into a center dedicated to sustainable agriculture, a cause Peggy had embraced throughout her life. The Center was established as a non-profit organization in 2004.
The farm at Stone Barns Center is a four-season operation with approximately six-acres used for vegetable production. It features a half-acre greenhouse as well as a terraced winter garden with unheated movable greenhouses. This greenhouse is where farmers conduct most of their seed breeding and seed-saving experiments. Harvest Feast guests enjoy refreshments and small bites while learning about the growing practices. (Photo by Mike Falco for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
The greenhouse is soil-based, meaning plants can access the natural soil of the farm.
The minimally heated greenhouse is also home to many unique or experimental varieties of vegetables. There are many different seeds growing on sliding tables. Varieties are evaluated based on many factors such as taste, texture, color, yield, pest resistance, and many more. (Photo by Lori Berkowitz for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
The gardens and fields stretch far and wide. The cattle, ducks, sheep, goats, and turkeys are raised on pastures kept healthy and productive through carefully managed rotational grazing. Strategies for maintaining the pastures include intensive paddock management so the grazed area has ample time to recover and provide a natural refuge for birds and other wildlife. (Photo by David Hechler for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
At the start of the Feast, all the visitors to Stone Barns are offered a refreshing botanical cocktail.
Some of the small bites offered include these celery root skewers. Celeriac, also called celery root, knob celery, and turnip-rooted celery, is a variety of celery cultivated for its edible stem and shoots. I love celeriac and grow it every year in my own garden.
Here, a guest enjoys a roasted 898 squash grown at Stone Barns. The 898 variety packs concentrated sweetness, flavor, and beta-carotene into a single-serving. (Photo by Mike Falco for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
Here I am with Stone Barns Director of Agriculture, Jack Algiere. We’ve known each other for many years and always enjoy discussing various gardening topics and practices.
This is a view of the grazing sheep at Stone Barns. (Photo by David Hechler for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
And one of the guardian dogs that protect the sheep.
The farm grows at least 200-varieties of produce year-round, both indoors and in the outdoor fields and gardens.
Another delicious dish: Stone Barns waste-fed pork with nixtamalized Meg’s song barley and snap dragon apple. All the food and beverages are prepared by Chef Dan Barber’s farmstead restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Dan focuses on deriving the greatest flavor potential from all the ingredients he uses and is devoted to producing food with a low environmental impact. (Photo by Lori Berkowitz for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
This is single-origin levain, or sourdough bread just out of the oven. (Photo by Lori Berkowitz for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
Here, Jack stops to talk to guests and answer questions. (Photo by Mike Falco for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
Visiting groups for Harvest Feast are limited to 16, so all can see the farming grounds by hayride. It was a very pleasant early fall day – perfect and very safe for this outdoor tour. (Photo by Mike Falco for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
Some guests also walked through the garden fields. (Photo by David Hechler for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
And sat for various lectures and discussions with the Center’s farmers. (Photo by David Hechler for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
At another stop, guests gather at umbrella covered tables to learn more about the farm. The Harvest Feast lasted about three hours in all. (Photo by Mike Falco for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
And for everyone’s sweet tooth, S’mores, a favorite campfire treat consisting of toasted marshmallows and a layer of chocolate on graham cracker. (Photo by David Hechler for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
It was a very informative event – all to support the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. Here I am with Stone Barns Center Executive Director, Rick Parnell. I have been coming to Stone Barns for nearly 20 years and every visit is always so interesting – I encourage all of you to make a stop if you’re ever in the area. (Photo by David Hechler for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture)
A big outdoor project is underway at my Bedford, New York farm.
One area of the farm is designated as my stone yard, a place where extra inventory of the many types of stones used at the farm are kept - slate shingles, marble flooring, granite posts, etc. Recently, I decided the space, which is located outside my vegetable garden and across the carriage road from my citrus greenhouse, would be better suited for something else, so I decided to move the stone yard a few feet away in a corner of one of the horse paddocks, where all the materials could be more organized and tidy. In order to do this, fencing had to be removed and reconstructed, posts had to be repositioned, and the area had to be prepped for stacking thousands of pounds of stone.
Here are some photos of the first phase of this multiple-step process, enjoy.
The pasture fencing is made from 100-year-old white spruce railings. I purchased all the antique railings from Canada. So many of you have commented on how much you love these fences that surround all my paddocks here at the farm – I love them too.
This is the current stone yard, where I keep all kinds of stone for jobs around the farm. Over the years, the area has gotten a bit messy, but soon, everything will be neatly stacked in organized sections.
This corner was part of the paddock, so Fernando and Pete had to remove the fencing to make space for the stone, but don’t worry, there is plenty of room for my dear Friesians, Fell pony and donkeys.
Once the posts are removed from the ground, the antique horizontal railings are carefully placed to the side – many of the pieces will be re-connected, while others will be stored away or future use.
Here is the area now completely empty.
Fernando begins making holes for the new posts, enclosing the paddock again, leaving the corner open for the new stone yard.
Here are the new upright fence posts – all the same size and height.
Pete returns the antique horizontal supports and attaches them to the new posts on the inside of the fence.
Next, Pete uses mason’s twine to mark the area for the new stone yard.
I instructed the team to put down industrial strength weed cloth to prevent grass and any unwanted weeds from growing in the space.
Pete cuts the weed cloth to size, making sure all the edges are perfectly straight.
Fernando unrolls another long sheet of weed cloth to cover the next section.
I wanted the weed cloth to be double-layered, first in one direction and then in the other.
Fernando uses garden sod staples to keep the cloth secure to the ground.
These staples are so helpful for so many different jobs. They are available at nurseries, garden centers, and hardware stores.
Fernando begins digging holes for the other side of fence posts.
This fence is supported on the outside and the inside of the fence, to ensure the enclosure is secure.
Here’s Pete screwing in the post from the opposite side.
The attached post is then cut at a slight angle at the top.
Soil is backfilled into the hole and the fence is done.
The new stone yard will look great when complete. Next, we will cover the area in two inches of bluestone gravel and then move all the stones in carefully. Stay tuned.
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