When to plant crocuses in Oslo: 19 September – 9 November

In Oslo, crocus: plant from 19 September to about 9 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Fåbro Hage (farm shop, 7 km) and Felleskjøpet Bybutikk (farm supply, 7 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 date is about two weeks before the average daily temperature here falls below 0 °C (ten years of weather): an estimate, not the day the ground freezes, and a cold spell can freeze it earlier. Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture Extension, UNH Extension, RHS, how the ground freezes (NRC Canada, CBD-26).

Crocus in Oslo: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -6.9 °C.

Planting	19 September – 9 November
First autumn frost	19 October
Coldest nights	January, -6.9 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	9 April
Daylight	12:36 on 19 September
Daylight at the winter solstice	5:54

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

Crocus in Oslo: 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 Oslo the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 33 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

All the nearest cities on our list plant crocus later than Oslo; the closest date is in Stockholm, 9 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Stockholm	416 km	28 September – 5 December	9 days later
Copenhagen	483 km	20 October – end of December	31 days later
Kiel	623 km	21 October – end of December	32 days later
Rostock	652 km	18 October – end of December	29 days later
Hamburg	709 km	20 October – end of December	31 days later
Szczecin	757 km	18 October – end of December	29 days later

Where to buy crocus for planting in Oslo

Planting stock goes into the ground from 19 September to about 9 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Oslo OpenStreetMap lists 21 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 market and 2 farm shops (collected 7 October 2026).

Plantasjen Kolbotn — garden centre
Mon–Fri 10:00–20:00, Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 12:00–18:00 · 13 km
Felleskjøpet Bybutikk — farm supply
Mon–Fri 10:00–20:200. Lø 10:00–17:00 · 7 km · felleskjopet.no
Fåbro Hage — farm shop
Seasonal · 7 km · u-reist.no
Jord Mikrohagesenter — garden centre
3 km · jordmikrohagesenter.no
Plantehallen — garden centre
4 km · plantehallen.no
LOKAL Harbitz Torg — market
5 km · lokalbevegelsen.no
Hasle Gårdsbutikk — farm shop
15 km
Hageland Kolsås — garden centre
Mon–Fri 10:00–20:00; Sat 10:00–18:00; Sun 12:00–18:00 · 13 km · hageland.no

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