Discriminating gardeners will appreciate the double, creamy white flowers, up to 4in across, with as many as eight blooms on each plant. These pristine starbursts give a spring-like freshness to fall gardens.

It's hard to imagine fall without the magical appearance of Colchicums. Their bright, vase-shaped blooms rise without warning and glisten in the sharp light of autumn. In spring, a clump of broad, deer-proof leaves emerges, stays awhile, and vanishes by midsummer. We plant the bulbs in front of shrubs, among vigorous perennials, and at the grassy foot of a fence. Colchicums prefer well-drained soil that doesn't dry out in summer and the need shade where summers are hot. We ship these bulbs in September.