Illustration
Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by oenothera95 / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by oenothera95 / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Crocus
Crocus
Crocus blooms from February through March.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Crocus
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 4 in tall and 3 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Crocus
Crocus is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically September or October in zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8. It pays you back the following February to March.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in September. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Crocus get?
4 intall5 ft 7 inan adult3 inwideSee Crocus in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Where these facts come from
Crocus' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 11 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- ucanr.eduUC Marin Master Gardeners (UC ANR)height, sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois Extensionheight, hardiness zones and sun
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterMarch 2025height and trait tags
- extension.unh.eduUniversity of New Hampshire Extensionhardiness zones and trait tags
- Iowa State University ExtensionYard and Gardenheight and sun
- John ScheepersBeauty from Bulbs, Crocus Hort Tipshardiness zones and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Society, How to grow crocusessun and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Profilestrait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson Cooperative Extension HGIC, Spring-Flowering Bulbssun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 11 varieties across 4 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
- Blue Pearl
- Cream Beauty
- Flower Record
- Grand Maître
- Jeanne d'Arc
- Pickwick
- Remembrance
- Ruby Giant
- Snow Bunting
- Tricolor
- Yellow Mammoth
Compare every variety in the Crocus group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Pearl | Blue | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Cream Beauty | Yellow | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Crocusthis page | Purple | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Flower Record | Purple | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Grand Maître | Purple | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Jeanne d'Arc | White | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Pickwick | Purple | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Remembrance | Purple | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Ruby Giant | Purple | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Snow Bunting | White | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Tricolor | Purple | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
| Yellow Mammoth | Yellow | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 4 in × 3 in |
Good to know about Crocus
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Only mildly toxic: ingestion causes GI upset (drooling, vomiting, diarrhea) in dogs, cats and horses. Do not confuse it with deadly autumn crocus (Colchicum). per ASPCA
Worth knowing
Tell them apart: spring crocus blooms in spring with leaves and has three stamens; deadly autumn crocus is leafless in fall and has six. per ASPCA and NC State
Naturalizing crocus in a lawn
Iowa State warns against crocus in lawns, since grass gets mowed before the foliage ripens. But early small species (snow crocus, Tommies) finish before the first cut. per Iowa State and University of Illinois
Rodents dig corms; deer don't
Squirrels, chipmunks and voles dig and eat newly planted corms; deer generally leave crocus alone. Protect corms with wire mesh, grit, or interplanting with daffodils. per NC State and Clemson
Choose small early species
Small early species (snow crocus, C. tommasinianus) bloom earliest, naturalize best into drifts, feed early bees, and persist where rodents are troublesome; large Dutch crocus is less reliable. per University of Maryland and Clemson
Early food for bees
As one of the first bulbs to flower (often February to March), crocus feeds honey bees and bumble bee queens on warm days when little else is open. per University of Illinois and NC State
Let leaves die back
Leave the foliage for about six weeks after bloom so it refuels the corm; do not cut or mow it early. Divide crowded clumps about every four years. per NC State
What pairs well with Crocus
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Globe Thistle
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 3.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Sea Thrift
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in mid spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Creeping Sedum
Shares full sun and low water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Blue Oat Grass
Shares full sun and low water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer, before this one opens; stands well above at 5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Little Bluestem
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 3.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Lavender
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Cosmos
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 3.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Foliage
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.