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Leucojum autumnale has now become Acis autumnalis, but like all of these things, I prefer to take a couple of years to adapt, in case the name change doesn't 'stick'.
One of those things that just came up in a packet of seed of something else. Delightful in august, long before I want to think about autumn, although the garden is already
brandishing its cyclamen like a warning placard.
The species occurs in Spain, Portugal and North Africa but the centre of distribution seems to be Morocco. It started flowering at the beginning of July this year,
and was still going strong in October. In the wild the leaves die down at the end of spring and the autumn flowers spring naked from the ground. In cultivation
it tends to be moister in the summer, and the leaves persist for most of the year (though they are looking really ragged by the end of autumn).
It is perfectly hardy here, but I haven't tried it outside. I'm not sure that I have a corner that is sufficiently controlled to try a tiny bulb like this.
I might try it in a raised planter, it seeds so freely that I have plenty to spare.
The tiny white flowers are one of the fresh delights of summer, appearing as temperatures hit a peak but they are also one of the first
signs of the autumn to come.
