Colchicine is used in plant breeding work to induce mutations. Showy crocus is a fall-blooming crocus. Flowers are violet blue with yellow anthers and deep orange stigmas. Plant height is approximately 5 to 6 inches. Excellent varieties include 'Cassiope' which produces aster blue flowers with yellow bases and 'Conqueror' with clear, deep blue flowers.
Showy crocus is easy to grow.
Choose a well-drained site in partial shade to full sun. The bulbs should be planted 3 to 4 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. When browsing through bulb catalogs and garden centers in the fall, consider some fall blooming bulbs. They make spectacular additions to the fall landscape. Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa.