Also call 'Naked ladies' as they appear in autumn without leaves. These emerge in spring when there is little else, so they provide a contrast with their large, shining green clusters of leaves. Although they naturally grow on open hillsides, meadows, they tolerate grazing as cattle find them unpalatable. At Beth's they are grown in more deciduous shady locations, including our dry garden, but when they are at their peak, later autumn, into early spring, they receive more light as the overhead plants have shed, or are in the process of shedding foliage. Through September and October, the large goblet-like flowers, in whites through to various pink shades, light up the border. Similar to Crocus, but the flowers are generally larger and they have six stamens (Crocus have three).
Producing both nectar and pollen, colchicums are an important plant in the autumn garden, especially for bees and hoverflies. However doubled forms lack or have reduced provision of resources for insects.