Growing Crocus in a Missouri Garden: Planting, Care and What I've Learned

Crocus have been part of my garden for many years, and they're still one of the flowers I look forward to seeing most at the end of winter. They aren't big or showy plants, but after weeks of looking at a cold Missouri garden, those first little flowers can seem pretty spectacular.

I grow crocus in several areas of my yard. In my rock garden, they're mixed with early-blooming daffodils. I also grow yellow and white crocus in my upper garden along the river rock wall, where they grow among Vinca minor ground cover. I like crocus tucked into the landscape this way rather than planted in a formal row. When they bloom, they look as though they've always belonged there.

Growing Crocus Along My River Rock Wall

One of my favorite places to grow crocus is along our river rock wall. Many plants aren't particularly happy growing close to a wall, where conditions can be different from the rest of the garden, but my crocus don't seem bothered by this location at all.

Our late-winter and early-spring snowstorms here in Missouri can be brutal, and I've often wondered whether the wall actually works in the crocus' favor. It runs alongside the driveway and seems to give that part of the garden some protection from the wind and heavier drifting snow. That's simply something I've observed in my own garden over the years, but the crocus certainly seem to do well there.

My rock garden has been another good location. Crocus look wonderful growing around stones because the flowers are small enough to fit naturally into those little pockets in the landscape. Mixing them with early-blooming daffodils also gives me another layer of spring color as the season moves along.

Crocus blooming in my Missouri garden.

Light and Soil Requirements for Crocus

Crocus may be small, but choosing the right location makes a difference. Spring-blooming crocus generally prefer plenty of light and, just as importantly, soil that drains well.

Don't automatically rule out planting crocus beneath deciduous trees, either. Before those trees leaf out in spring, quite a bit of sunlight can reach the ground. That gives early-spring plants an opportunity to grow and flower before the tree canopy fills in.

Good drainage is particularly important. I wouldn't choose a low area of the garden where water sits after heavy rain or melting snow. Crocus don't need a special corner of the garden, but they do need a place where excess water can drain away.

That's another reason my rock garden and the area beside the river rock wall have worked well for me.

Where Else Can You Plant Crocus?

One thing I like about crocus is that you don't need to create a special garden just for them. They can be worked into areas where you're already gardening.

Try them along a walkway, scattered through a rock garden, in perennial beds, near ground covers or beneath deciduous trees. I grow them right in my lawn, too, although that comes with a little complication I'll get to in a minute.

I especially like mixing mine with other plants. The yellow and white crocus growing through the Vinca minor create a completely different look from the crocus growing with early daffodils in my rock garden. That's half the fun of gardening anyway. The same flower can look completely different depending on what you plant around it.

Crocus "Bulbs" Are Actually Corms

We gardeners usually lump crocus in with our spring-flowering bulbs, and you'll often hear them called crocus bulbs. Technically, though, what you're planting is a corm.

Don't let the terminology make them sound complicated. They're anything but.

When buying crocus corms, look them over before planting. I look for corms that feel firm and avoid anything that is soft, moldy or obviously damaged. Starting with healthy planting stock gives the plants a much better beginning.

How and When to Plant Crocus

Spring-flowering crocus should be planted in the fall so they have time to establish before winter and experience the cold period they need before flowering.

I prefer crocus planted in informal groups rather than standing around one at a time. Several flowers blooming together make much more of an impression, particularly because an individual crocus is such a small plant.

When it comes to planting depth and spacing, I would follow the instructions for the particular crocus you've purchased rather than assuming one measurement works for every variety. This is something I would change from the advice I gave when this article was originally written.

After planting, water them in if the soil needs moisture. I don't put crocus on a daily watering schedule. What matters more is keeping an eye on actual soil conditions and making sure the planting area drains well.

Then I let them get on with the business of becoming next spring's flowers.

Growing Crocus in My Lawn

I also have crocus growing right in the lawn, and I love the way they look scattered through the grass in early spring. There is just one little complication. Once the flowers fade, I can't simply mow over everything. The green foliage still needs time in the sun to do its job and help the crocus prepare for next year's flowers, so I leave it alone until it naturally dies back.

This arrangement works perfectly well for the crocus. My husband, however, is another matter. As the rest of the grass starts growing, I begin hearing, "The lawn is getting pretty high." I know exactly where this conversation is going.

That's when I head outside and mark the areas where the crocus are growing so he knows where not to mow. He can mow around them, the crocus get the time they need, and I get to spend the next few weeks explaining why we have random patches of tall grass in an otherwise freshly mowed lawn.

Eventually the crocus foliage dies back naturally, the markers come out, and my husband is finally free to restore order to the lawn. By then I'm already thinking about next spring, when we'll start the entire routine over again.

Sometimes gardening is about knowing what your plants need. Other times it's about keeping your husband and the lawn mower away from them long enough to give them what they need.

Caring for Crocus After They Bloom

Crocus don't require a tremendous amount of fuss once they're established. In fact, one of the most important things you can do after they flower is simply leave them alone for a while.

Don't immediately cut off the foliage because the flowers have disappeared. Let the leaves remain until they begin to yellow and die back naturally. During this period the plant is using sunlight to help replenish the energy stored in the corm for future growth.

This is another reason I like growing crocus among other plants. As the surrounding garden begins growing, the fading crocus foliage becomes much less noticeable.

Those Determined Squirrels

Of course, we have to talk about squirrels.

Crocus may be easy for us to plant, but unfortunately we're not the only creatures interested in what's underneath the soil. Squirrels can dig up newly planted crocus, so if you have particularly determined ones in your yard, protecting the planting area with a physical barrier can help discourage their excavations.

I've learned that gardening is never simply a relationship between the gardener and the plants. There always seems to be a squirrel, rabbit, deer or some other uninvited participant who thinks my garden plans should be reconsidered.

Why I Still Love Growing Crocus

Crocus don't take over the garden or demand much attention, and that's probably one of the reasons I've enjoyed them for so long. They're there when I need them most, just as winter is beginning to feel a little too long.

One day the garden still looks dormant, and then suddenly there are little flowers appearing among the rocks and ground covers. I especially love the way the yellow and white crocus look along the river rock wall and among the Vinca minor, and I like having another group growing with the early daffodils in the rock garden.

If you've never grown crocus, they're worth considering. Sometimes it's the smallest flowers in the garden that make us happiest to see spring returning.

2026 Update

When I originally wrote this article in 2010, these crocus had already been growing in my garden for several years. I planted them in the fall of 2004, shortly after we moved into our home. They were mail-order crocus from Breck's Bulbs, back when sending in an order through the mail was still second nature and online ordering hadn't completely taken over.

Those same crocus are still growing in my garden today, and they have bloomed every spring since I planted them. More than twenty years later, I think that's a pretty good recommendation for finding a spot where crocus are happy and letting them do what they do best.

Happy gardening!

Susan