Crocus tommasinianus Blue Ocean - Early Crocus

The Crocus 'Blue Ocean' is a remarkable horticultural variety of Crocus tommasinianus, also known as Tommasini's crocus, native to Southeast Europe. It is a small bulbous plant that is particularly early, bringing the garden to life from the end of winter with its flowers of a deep violet-blue enhanced by a bright orange stigma. Very hardy, reliable and undemanding, this crocus naturalises easily, offering a bright and colourful display each year, often at a time when few other flowers are present. Easy to grow in open ground as well as in pots.

The Crocus tommasinianus 'Blue Ocean' is a recent horticultural variety selected in the Netherlands by the Centre for Ornamental Crop Testing BV & SJA van der Veek & KJA van der Veek, officially registered in 2020.
The wild species Crocus tommasinianus is a perennial corm plant native to the Balkans, Albania, Bulgaria and southern Hungary. It grows spontaneously at medium altitude, around 1,000 m, in woodland clearings, edges and on rocky or limestone slopes. In its natural habitat, the climate is of a moderate continental type: winters are cold but relatively dry, while summers are hot and also dry, which suits its summer dormancy cycle perfectly. The soil is generally light, sandy or silty, well-drained, sometimes calcareous, but the species also tolerates neutral to slightly acidic soils.

The crocus 'Blue Ocean' forms small spherical bulbs about 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter, protected by a fibrous tunic. In the heart of winter, it develops 3 to 5 linear, dark green leaves, marked with a silvery central line. Its flowering occurs between late February and March depending on the climate. Each bulb produces a single flower, more rarely two, carried on a short pedunculate stem. Shaped like a slender calyx, the flowers measure 2 cm in diameter and 5 cm long. The deep violet-blue centre of the corolla, occasionally nuanced with a silvery outer sheen, is occupied by stamens and a bright orange stigma. After flowering, the foliage persists for a few weeks, allowing the plant to replenish its reserves. Then it enters dormancy at the end of spring. Like its botanical cousins, it restarts naturally as soon as temperatures cool in autumn or winter.
Easy to grow, this variety thrives particularly well under deciduous trees where winter light is abundant. It prefers cool soil in winter and spring, but dry in summer. Very hardy, it can withstand temperatures down to –30 °C.

The Crocus tommasinianus 'Blue Ocean' excels in a rock garden, at the edge of a well-drained border or on the edge of woodland. Also plant it en masse at the foot of deciduous bushes (lilacs, mock orange, Deutzia) with Balkan anemones and cyclamen. In the middle of a lawn, it will keep company with sweet violets and other early-flowering spring crocuses. This variety is well suited to outdoor pot planting.

A crocus tip: the roots have the particularity of being able to contract like a spring, allowing the plant to settle at the ideal depth for it.