When to plant crocuses in Cologne: 21 October – end of December

In Cologne, crocus: plant from 21 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Poller Hofladen (farm shop, 4 km) and Beller Hof (farm shop, 8 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 Cologne: soil, season and weather

No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 1.2 °C.

Planting	21 October – end of December
First autumn frost	20 November
Coldest nights	January, 1.2 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Daylight	10:24 on 21 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:55

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

Crocus in Cologne: 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 Cologne 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

Around Cologne, Dortmund is 4 days earlier and Wiesbaden 3 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Düsseldorf	35 km	22 October – end of December	1 day later
Duisburg	56 km	23 October – end of December	2 days later
Dortmund	73 km	17 October – end of December	4 days earlier
Liège	104 km	20 October – end of December	1 day earlier
Hasselt	114 km	19 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Wiesbaden	132 km	24 October – end of December	3 days later

Where to buy crocus for planting in Cologne

Planting stock goes into the ground from 21 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Cologne OpenStreetMap lists 28 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 4 plant nurseries, 48 markets and 26 farm shops (collected 7 October 2026).

Der kleine Hofladen Sinnersdorf — farm shop
Stommelner Straße 28, 50259 Pulheim · Mon, Wed–Fri 08:00–11:45, 12:45–18:00; Sat 08:00–18:00; Sun 10:00–15:00 · 14 km · hofladen-sinnersdorf.de
Das Büdchen — farm shop
Otto-Wels-Straße 2-6, 50321 Brühl · Thu, Fri 08:30–18:30; Sat 08:30–13:00 · 15 km · obst-gemuesehof-bruehl.de
Beller Hof — farm shop
Horbeller Straße 48, 50858 Köln · 8 km · beller-hof.de
Gartenoase Köln West — farm shop
Paul-R.-Kraemer-Allee 103, 50226 Frechen · Tue–Fri 09:00–18:00, Sat 09:00–14:00, public holidays closed · 12 km
Simonshof — farm shop
Am Schlittberg 1, 50259 Pulheim · 13 km · simons-hof.de
Poller Hofladen — farm shop
Auf dem Sandberg 66, 51105 Köln · Fri 17:00–18:30, Sat 08:30–12:30; public holidays closed · 4 km
Gertrudenhof Bauernmarkt — farm shop
Mon–Fri 09:30–18:30; Sat 08:00–19:00; Sun, public holidays 11:00–16:00 · 8 km · erlebnisbauernhof-gertrudenhof.de
Heinenhof Farm shop — farm shop
Heinenhof, 50259 Pulheim · Mon–Fri 08:30–18:30; Sat 08:30–14:00 · 12 km

Questions