• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Planting Crocuses in the lawn

October 22, 2012 By Carol Michel 9 Comments

Crocuses blooming in the lawn spring of 2012

As garden fairies slept under shrubs nearby, I planted 1,100 Crocus corms, specifically several varieties of Crocus tommasinianus, in my back lawn, the Green Sea.

I like to think that the garden fairies approved of my choice of flowers for the lawn because every time I returned from a break in planting, my gloves, trowel, and trug full of crocuses were all still there where I left them. 

This was not my first time to plant crocuses in the lawn.  I planted several hundred in the lawn last fall.  I don’t know the specific number because I just wrote “planted a few crocus corms” in my garden journal on the day I planted them. I did not have a lot of time to plant last fall, and apparently less time to make a proper recording in my garden journal about what I planted.  I think “a few corms” was a few hundred, if I recall correctly.

I have been asked how one goes about planting so many corms in the lawn.

I find it easiest to plant all the corms if you empty them all into a low flat trug, mixing up all the varieties if they are packaged separately as mine were.

It makes it easier to grab a corm if you don’t have to reach over the edge of a tall bucket or other container.

If I were planting these crocuses in a bare flower bed instead of my lawn, I would dig many large holes, not too deep, scatter the corms in the hole and then cover them up.    However, I was planting these crocuses in my lawn so opted to plant them one at a time.

With the right tool, which in my case is a rockery trowel, it took me about three hours, with several breaks, to plant these corms.  

The technique is easy and has a nice rhythm to it, once you get going.

Clockwise, from the top left, grab your rockery trowel and a good pair of gloves. I used some of those gloves dipped in rubber because the ground was still heavy with dew when I started.  Jab the trowel into the ground a few inches, then push it forward to create a hole.  Drop a corm behind the trowel, then pull the trowel out and knock any dirt back into the hole.

Repeat as many times as you have corms until you are finished. Don’t try to plant in a pattern or straight lines. Just move about the lawn and plant around you, then move on to another spot, and another, and another until you run out of corms.  Remember to take several breaks to stand up straight, stretch, and drink some water.  I take a break every 25 minutes or so.

Then when you are finished planting, go inside and tend to the blister on the palm of your hand, clean yourself up, and wait for the glorious show of spring. 

I am hopeful that these crocuses will bloom toward the end of March, specifically on Easter, March 31st, when I will host the world’s greatest family Easter egg hunt.  However, the first picture above was taken on March 13th this year, so I’m going to need some help from the weather and the garden fairies to hold off on the blooms until about two weeks later than that next spring.

Regardless of when they bloom, I look forward to seeing them scattered throughout the lawn, the sign of a new spring in my garden.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: bulbs, lawn

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aistė says

    October 22, 2012 at 6:59 am

    Great job! I’m sure your spring lawn is going to look marvelous and the fairies of your garden will be pleased 🙂

    Reply
  2. Kathy says

    October 22, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    Hmm. I would like to figure out how to do this without the blister at the end. And what do you do when you hit rocks?

    Reply
  3. Rose says

    October 22, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    Well, this makes my planting of 50 crocuses this weekend sound pretty puny:) I'm surprised you had only a blister after this; my knees would have needed some ice packs after being on them for 3 hours. Oh, but it will all be worth it come spring! I'm sure the garden fairies are going to love it, too.

    Reply
  4. John says

    October 22, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    Well, I've planted crocuses in the lawn for many years and here's my take on it. They look best when they are bunched by variety as opposed to the easter egg effect. To my eye anyway. And unless you confine them to specify sections you will end up with mowing nightmare or else cut them down before they are ready to be cut in the springtime. I guess you could always set the mower to 4 inches or so and just have a very high lawn…

    Reply
  5. Helen says

    October 22, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    Go to a sports store and get one of their anti-blister products. One tube should last you a long time. Apply on your hand in last year's blister spot. Reapply when you take your breaks. That is, should you decide to plant another thousand crocuses next year.

    Reply
  6. CommonWeeder says

    October 22, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    Still time to plant – but I don't know if I can handle hundreds of corms/bulbs. It does make a great show! Good to know about that special trowel.

    Reply
  7. Katxena says

    October 22, 2012 at 11:19 pm

    I planted Crocus tommasinianus in my lawn a few years ago because they were supposed to be squirrel resistant — and they did, in fact, seem to be. However, the rabbits ate them after they were up for just a day.

    Is there a variety that's BOTH squirrel and rabbit resistant?

    Reply
  8. PetalTalk says

    October 25, 2012 at 1:01 pm

    Wow! That's a lot of crocus! Congrats on being so pro-active – you'll reap the rewards of your forethought in early spring.

    Reply
  9. Rhondi says

    October 26, 2012 at 2:01 am

    Carol
    Andrea Sprott who is the gardener who looks after Elizabeth Lawrence garden gave a talk and mentioned your blog. So I am just stopping by to say hello

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT