When to plant crocuses in Bielefeld: 19 October – end of December

In Bielefeld, crocus: plant from 19 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Blumen Klose (garden centre, 2 km) and Gartencenter Mühlenweg (garden centre, 5 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Bulbs are best planted early in the window: late-planted bulbs may flower later or less well. Late planting works only while the soil can be dug. Mulch after planting.

The average daily temperature here stays above 0 °C all winter, and at least three months average 7 °C or less: our rule of thumb for the winter cold spring bulbs need. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS.

Crocus in Bielefeld: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 0.3 °C.

Planting	19 October – end of December
First autumn frost	18 November
Coldest nights	January, 0.3 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Daylight	10:28 on 19 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:44

The same dates in Bielefeld hold for Garlic, Tulip, Daffodil and Hyacinth.

Crocus in Bielefeld: depth, winter cold, pests and pets

Plant Dutch crocuses (Crocus vernus) about 12 cm deep and 9 cm apart; smaller species go 7–10 cm deep (RHS).

In Bielefeld the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 25 weeks a year (our estimate from ten years of monthly weather). For this bulb Wisconsin Horticulture Extension gives a cold period of 15–17 weeks at about 2–10 °C. The winter here gives that in the ground, so the bulbs need no pre-chilling.

Crocuses multiply on their own (they naturalise); in a lawn, hold off mowing until their leaves die back (RHS).

Birds, squirrels and rodents damage crocuses; planting under metal mesh may reduce losses (RHS). Spring crocus gives dogs and cats vomiting and diarrhoea; do not confuse it with autumn crocus (Colchicum), which is very toxic (Pet Poison Helpline).

Sources: RHS, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, Pet Poison Helpline.

Crocus in nearby cities

Around Bielefeld, Dortmund is 2 days earlier and Duisburg 4 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Hanover	91 km	22 October – end of December	3 days later
Dortmund	92 km	17 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Duisburg	138 km	23 October – end of December	4 days later
Düsseldorf	149 km	22 October – end of December	3 days later
Cologne	162 km	21 October – end of December	2 days later
Hamburg	196 km	20 October – end of December	1 day later

Where to buy crocus for planting in Bielefeld

Planting stock goes into the ground from 19 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Bielefeld OpenStreetMap lists 23 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 2 plant nurseries, 13 markets and 26 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Biokiste Weissenbach — farm shop
Fritz-Niewald-Weg 1, 32107 Bad Salzuflen · 14 km · hofladen-weissenbach.de
Bioland Hofladen Mühle — farm shop
Mühlenhof 1, 33790 Halle (Westf.) · Tue , Fri 10:00–18:00; Sat 10:00–13:00 · 10 km
Spargelhof Lückner — farm shop
Sinnernweg 8, 33649 Bielefeld · 11 km · spargelhof-lueckner.de
Baumschule Varnholt — plant nursery
12 km
Krull — garden centre
Haller Straße 150, 33334 Gütersloh · Tue–Fri 08:30–18:30; Sat 08:00–14:00 · 12 km · krull-pflanzen.de
Tiega - Tier- und Gartenwelt — garden centre
Heideblümchenstraße 59, 33758 Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock · Mon–Fri 09:00–19:00; Sat 09:00–16:00 · 12 km · tiega.de
Blumen Klose — garden centre
Oldentruper Straße 84a, 33604 Bielefeld · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00; Sat 09:00–14:00; Sun, public holidays 10:00–12:00 · 2 km · blumenklose.de
Gartencenter Mühlenweg — garden centre
Südring 9, 33647 Bielefeld · Mon–Fri 09:00–20:00; Sat 08:00–20:00; Sun 10:00–15:00 · 5 km · gartencenter-muehlenweg.de

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