Crocus Chrysanthus: How to Grow the Golden Snow Crocus
Crocus chrysanthus, usually called the snow crocus or golden crocus, is a small spring-flowering crocus from the Balkans and Turkey that opens in late winter, earlier than the big Dutch crocuses. Its corms are planted in autumn, 8-10 cm deep in a sunny, well-drained spot, and each one produces several goblet-shaped flowers only 7-10 cm tall, in yellow, cream, white, bronze or blue depending on the variety.
In our Saint Petersburg shops we hear about this plant every spring, usually as two questions: can it be bought as a cut flower, and how to make it bloom in a pot for 8 March. Below we cover the plant itself, the varieties worth growing, planting and forcing, and what to give instead when someone wants that early-spring feeling in a vase.
What makes Crocus chrysanthus different from other crocuses
The name chrysanthus means golden-flowered, and the wild form is a clear buttery yellow, sometimes with bronze or purple feathering on the outer petals. Gardeners group it with the snow crocuses because it flowers so early: in mild climates in February, in Saint Petersburg usually in April, as soon as the snow pulls back from a sunny bed. The large-flowered Dutch crocuses (Crocus vernus) follow two or three weeks later and are taller and heavier.
The flowers are smaller than Dutch crocuses but far more numerous, since each corm sends up a succession of buds. They open wide in sunshine and close in cloud and at night, which protects the pollen from cold and rain. Many varieties have a light honey scent that you notice on a warm afternoon when a clump is fully open.
People sometimes confuse the name with chrysanthemums because of the shared root, but the plants have nothing in common: one is a tiny spring corm, the other a robust autumn cut flower. If chrysanthemums are what you were really looking for, our article on chrysanthemums as the most underrated flower is the place to start.
Varieties worth looking for
Most corms sold under the name are named cultivars rather than the wild species. 'Cream Beauty' is soft ivory with a golden throat and one of the most reliable for naturalising in grass. 'Blue Pearl' is pale lavender-blue outside and silvery white inside, beautiful in a low pot by a window. 'Snow Bunting' is pure white with fine purple lines and a noticeable scent.
For warmer colours, 'Fuscotinctus' is yellow with dark plum stripes, and 'Zwanenburg Bronze' has deep bronze outer petals that open to orange-yellow. 'Ladykiller' is a striking white with violet-purple outer petals. Mixing three or four of these in one bed stretches the display, because they do not all open on exactly the same day.
Choose firm, heavy corms with an intact papery tunic. Soft, shrivelled or mouldy corms rarely flower well, and smaller corms of the same variety produce fewer buds in the first spring.
Bouquets we can deliver
Planting corms in the garden
Plant in September or October, while the soil is still warm enough for roots to form before frost. Set the corms pointed end up, 8-10 cm deep and 5-8 cm apart, in groups of at least 15-20; a single row of crocuses looks thin, a drift looks generous. They need sun in early spring, so the ground under deciduous trees and shrubs works well because the branches are still bare when the flowers open.
Drainage matters more than feeding. Corms rot in heavy, waterlogged clay, so add coarse sand or fine grit to the planting hole if your soil stays wet. In lawns, plant where the grass will not be cut until the crocus leaves have yellowed, usually six weeks after flowering, because the leaves feed next year's corm.
Mice and squirrels love crocus corms. A layer of fine wire mesh just under the soil surface, or planting in mesh baskets, saves a lot of disappointment. Once established, Crocus chrysanthus is fully hardy in the Saint Petersburg climate and multiplies from year to year with almost no care.
Forcing snow crocuses in pots for an early spring gift
Crocus chrysanthus forces easily, which is why potted crocuses appear on windowsills long before the garden wakes up. Plant corms close together, almost touching, just below the surface of a free-draining compost in a shallow pot with a drainage hole. Water once, then keep the pot cold and dark at 2-9 °C for 12-15 weeks: an unheated balcony box, a cellar or the bottom of a refrigerator away from fruit all work.
When shoots are 3-5 cm tall, bring the pot into a cool, bright room around 10-15 °C. Flowers follow in two to three weeks. To have them open for 8 March, plant in mid to late October and count back from the date. Warm rooms make the flowers open in a day and fade in three, so a cool windowsill gives you a week or more of colour.
After flowering, keep watering until the leaves turn yellow, then plant the corms out in the garden in autumn. They rarely force well a second time, but outdoors they recover and flower again the following spring.
Why crocuses are not a cut flower, and what to give instead
Customers regularly ask us for a bouquet of crocuses. The honest answer is that they do not work as cut flowers: the stems are only a few centimetres long and hollow, the flowers close in a room without bright sun, and a cut crocus lasts a day or two at most. As a gift they belong in a pot, planted by the giver or bought already in bud.
If you want the same early-spring mood in a vase, think in their colours rather than their shape: pale yellow, cream, soft lilac and white. Tulips, spray roses and small chrysanthemums in these shades give that fresh, light look and last a week or longer in cool water. Our bouquets catalogue shows what we can assemble and deliver.
Pyat Tsvetov has worked in Saint Petersburg since 2011 and has three of its own flower shops in the city. We deliver across Russia; city delivery costs 500 RUB, and for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. In Saint Petersburg delivery runs around the clock. You can pay online by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay, and foreign bank cards are accepted via Robokassa, which helps when you order from abroad. The terms are on the delivery and payment page, and any question can be answered by phone at 8 (812) 507-67-05.
Frequently asked questions
When does Crocus chrysanthus flower?
It is one of the earliest crocuses, opening in February in mild climates and around April in Saint Petersburg. It flowers two to three weeks before the large Dutch crocuses.
How deep should snow crocus corms be planted?
Plant them 8-10 cm deep and 5-8 cm apart, pointed end up, in September or October. Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil.
Can crocuses be used in a bouquet?
Not really: their stems are very short and a cut flower lasts only a day or two. Give them in a pot instead, or choose tulips, spray roses or small chrysanthemums in similar pale colours.
How long do I need to chill crocuses for forcing?
Keep the potted corms cold and dark at 2-9 °C for 12-15 weeks. Then bring them into a cool, bright room and they flower in two to three weeks.
Can I order flowers to Saint Petersburg from abroad?
Yes. Pyat Tsvetov accepts foreign bank cards via Robokassa, and in Saint Petersburg delivery runs around the clock. City delivery costs 500 RUB.
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