Crocus

[lotusbell]

I'm due to move house and yesterday we had a quick look at the property. Both front and back gardens are quite overgrown with various pots and plants throughout. The front lawn has crocuses which look lovely, one biggish patch and some scattered further along. I didn't know this was a thing and my first thought was to dig them up and replant but am I better leaving where they are? How do I care for them if I leave them and can I pick them to display?

They're not doing any harm so I wouldn't bother digging them up? They don't need special attention they'll just pop up to say hello for a couple of weeks in spring and then go away again. Never tried picking them but can't imagine they would last very long as cut flowers...might be nice dried though.

Crocuses are lovely! Let them bloom and you can mow the lawn afterwards. Then they will come up again next year.

Thank you, I will leave them as they are,they look gorgeous!

Crocuses are lovely! Let them bloom and you can mow the lawn afterwards. No, don't mow the lawn straight away as they will slowly use up the food reserves in the bulb and gradually die out. Try and postpone your first mow to mid-May. Mowing a narrow strip round the edge of the lawn and maybe a path through the middle will make the lawn look tidy and cared for.

If you leave the mowing until the crocus leaves die down naturally, the plants will increase the food reserves in their bulbs and keep going for many years, increasing in numbers each year.

They're not very satisfactory picked as they don't have a stem. You'd be putting the base of the flower into the water.

Very helpful, thank you. The gardens need a good tidy so will make sure we leave the mowing til then.

The rain has brutalised half my crocuses today

That's a shame @GreenSlide, they're lovely to look at. I wish I'd taken a photo now.