When to plant crocuses in Rostock: 18 October – end of December

In Rostock, crocus: plant from 18 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Bauhaus Stadtgarten (garden centre, 3 km) and Block's Garten- und Blumen Markt (garden centre, 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 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 Rostock: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in January, February; the coldest, January, averages -0.2 °C.

Planting	18 October – end of December
First autumn frost	17 November
Coldest nights	January, -0.2 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Daylight	10:25 on 18 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:21

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

Crocus in Rostock: 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 Rostock the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 27 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 Rostock's date.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Kiel	130 km	21 October – end of December	3 days later
Hamburg	151 km	20 October – end of December	2 days later
Szczecin	177 km	18 October – end of December	same day
Copenhagen	179 km	20 October – end of December	2 days later
Berlin	195 km	20 October – end of December	2 days later
Potsdam	198 km	22 October – end of December	4 days later

Where to buy crocus for planting in Rostock

Planting stock goes into the ground from 18 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Rostock OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres, 4 plant nurseries, 13 markets and 8 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Hofladen — farm shop
9 km
Landfleischerei Wiechmann — farm shop
13 km
Grönfingers — garden centre
Alt Bartelsdorfer Straße 18, 18146 Rostock · Mon–Sat 09:00–19:00 · 5 km · groenfingers.de
Block's Garten- und Blumen Markt — garden centre
Satower Straße 74, 18059 Rostock · 3 km · blumenblock.de
Toom Gartencenter — garden centre
Mon–Sat 08:00–20:00 · 6 km · toom.de
Bauhaus Stadtgarten — garden centre
Mon–Fri 07:00–20:00; Sat 08:00–20:00 · 3 km
Wochenmarkt Hannes-Meyer-Platz — market
Wed 08:00–17:00 · 5 km · rostocker-wochenmaerkte.de
Wochenmarkt Warnemünde — market
Sat 08:00–13:00 · 10 km · rostocker-wochenmaerkte.de

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