There are various ways of planting crocus en masse in grass. At Kew, they lift the grass and scatter the crocuses onto the soil and then replace the turf. At Great Dixter, crocus bulbs are planted singly, by the thousand, using a bulb planter with a long handle.
To plant them as we do at Perch Hill, you’ll need a bucket of spent compost and a bucket of crocuses.
Crocuses are happy in thick turf with the sun fully on them, so pick your location well. Then cut the grass before planting in September, October or November. You’ll see the flowering crocus much more clearly with the grass cut short.
Punch 20 or 30 holes using a bulb planter, aiming for a natural spread. Make sure the holes are 8-10cm (3-4in) deep and ensure the bulbs are about 10cm (4in) apart.
Once you’re happy with the pattern, add 1½cm (½in) of the spent compost in the bottom of the hole. On heavy soil, use a fresh bag of multipurpose compost mixed with 50% grit.
Then place an individual crocus corm on top and add another 1.5cm (0.5in) of compost over that.
Break a little soil off the bottom of the bulb planter, so the soil you replace sinks to the right level as you replace it.
After they’ve flowered, wait until the foliage has died down in May to cut the grass.
