When to plant crocuses in Budapest: 17 October – end of December

In Budapest, crocus: plant from 17 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Hermes Kertészbolt (farm supply, 2 km) and Hermes Kertészbolt (farm supply, 3 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 falls below 0 °C only in January; the sources go no later than December. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS, how the ground freezes (NRC Canada, CBD-26).

Crocus in Budapest: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -3 °C.

Planting	17 October – end of December
First autumn frost	16 November
Coldest nights	January, -3 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	8 January
Daylight	10:49 on 17 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:26

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

Crocus in Budapest: 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 Budapest the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 24 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

1 of the nearest cities share Budapest's date.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Bratislava	161 km	17 October – end of December	same day
Vienna	214 km	13 October – 29 December	4 days earlier
Brno	261 km	7 October – 24 December	10 days earlier
Ostrava	264 km	10 October – end of December	7 days earlier
Uzhhorod	272 km	1 October – 27 December	16 days earlier
Graz	276 km	11 October – end of December	6 days earlier

Where to buy crocus for planting in Budapest

Planting stock goes into the ground from 17 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Budapest OpenStreetMap lists 69 garden centres, 18 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 58 markets and 13 farm shops (collected 7 October 2026).

Hunyadi téri vásárcsarnok — market
Hunyadi tér 4-5, 1067 Budapest · Mon 07:00–17:00; Tue–Fri 08:00–18:00; Sat 07:00–14:00 · 2 km
Fehérvári úti vásárcsarnok — market
Kőrösy József utca 7-9, 1117 Budapest · Mon 06:30–17:00; Tue–Fri 06:30–18:00; Sat 06:30–15:00 · 3 km
Agroforg Kft. — farm supply
Táblás utca 29, 1097 Budapest · Mon–Thu 08:00–17:00; Fri 08:00–16:00 · 7 km · agroforginfo.hu
SUNI Service Universal Kft. — farm supply
Noszlopy utca 2, 1103 Budapest · Mon–Thu 08:00–17:00; Fri 08:00–16:00 · 9 km · suni-kft.hu
Gazdabolt — farm supply
Árpád utca 23, 1195 Budapest · Mon–Fri 09:00–16:00; Sat–Sun, public holidays closed · 10 km · gazdabolt-kispest.hu
Házi Kedvencek Boltja — farm supply
Vasút utca 3, 2045 Törökbálint · Mon–Wed, Fri 08:00–17:00; Sat 08:00–12:00 · 11 km · torokbalinttakarmanybolt.hu
Hermes Kertészbolt — farm supply
Széll Kálmán tér 3, 1024 Budapest · Mon–Fri 08:30–17:00 · 2 km · hermesaruhaz.hu
Hermes Kertészbolt — farm supply
Baross tér 16, 1077 Budapest · Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 · 3 km · hermesaruhaz.hu

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