Whether you call them Pasque flowers, April Fools, or Ears of the Earth, now is the perfect time to hunt crocuses in Saskatchewan. Crocuses typically appear shortly after the snow melts, sometime around April 1st-21st. Blooms only last for two weeks, so the window to see them is short.
Where to Find Crocuses
The best places to find crocuses are places where the original prairie still exists. Along rivers, around abandoned railway tracks, or in Natural grasslands are your best bets. Here’s a few secret spots that some of my readers and fellow bloggers were willing to share:
Central Saskatchewan
Around Lake Diefenbaker near Beechy, SK
Meewasin Trails, Saskatoon, SK For the best luck, try the east side and access the road just outside of the Silverspring Neighbourhood.
Mt. Carmel Hill, near Humboldt, SK.
South Saskatchewan
East Block of the Grasslands National Park
Fields around the McCord, SK
Planting
Never transplant a crocus from the wild. Sure, it may last the first couple of years, but it will die out after 4 or 5 years and deplete the natural supply. You can collect wild crocus seeds in June or July. If you decide to collect them in the wild, please be responsible and leave more than enough seeds on each plant. You can also order seeds from Blazing Star Wild Seed Company, Prairie Originals or Prairie Flora
Crocuses are happiest in sandy soil and full sun. Plant them in the fall so you don’t have to worry about stratifying them in the spring. Do not plant in a single line, as crocuses do best in small groups. It may take up to three years to see blooms, but once you do, a single plant can live for 40-50 years.
Finding crocuses is a fun way to spend an afternoon outside with your family. I know we’ll be heading out soon to try and catch the last of the blooms!
Readers, if you would like to share any other spots around Saskatchewan where you can find crocuses, please leave them in the comments or private message me. I’ll add them to the article as people share them with me.
Also, a quick shout out to Paul at Gardenzic for giving me the idea for this post!
Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots. She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden. She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.
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