When to plant crocuses in St. Gallen: 19 October – end of December

In St. Gallen, crocus: plant from 19 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include R. Sager AG (garden centre, 10 km) and Landi Säntis (garden centre, 13 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 St. Gallen: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -2.4 °C.

Planting	19 October – end of December
First autumn frost	18 November
Coldest nights	January, -2.4 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	9 January
Daylight	10:43 on 19 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:27

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

Crocus in St. Gallen: 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 St. Gallen the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 26 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 earlier than St. Gallen; the closest date is in Zurich, 2 days earlier.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Zurich	63 km	17 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Lucerne	90 km	20 September – 29 November	29 days earlier
Bellinzona	139 km	16 October – end of December	3 days earlier
Locarno	146 km	23 August – 27 October	57 days earlier
Stuttgart	152 km	9 October – end of December	10 days earlier
Innsbruck	154 km	7 September – 10 December	42 days earlier

Where to buy crocus for planting in St. Gallen

Planting stock goes into the ground from 19 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of St. Gallen OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 3 farm-supply shops, 1 plant nursery, 3 markets and 24 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Gärtnerei & Blumen Urs Keller — garden centre
Kirchstrasse 10, 8588 Zihlschlacht · Mon 13:30–18:30; Tue–Fri 08:00–12:00, 13:30–18:30; Sat 08:00–12:00, 13:30–16:00; public holidays closed · 14 km · blumen-keller.ch
Gärtnerei Benz — garden centre
Brunnenackerstrasse 4, 9437 Marbach SG · Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00 · 15 km · benzgaertnerei.ch
Landi — garden centre
Hauptstrasse 10, 9105 Schönengrund · 15 km · landisaentis.ch
R. Sager AG — garden centre
Gontenstrasse 47, 9108 Gontenbad · 10 km
Landi Säntis — garden centre
Herisauerstrasse 28, 9107 Urnäsch · 13 km
St. Galler Bauernmarkt — market
Apr–Nov: Fri 07:00–13:00 · 1 km
ZIK Platz — market
ZIK Platz, 9320 Arbon · 12 km
Bauernmarkt Altstätten — market
May–Oct Sat 09:00–13:00 · 14 km

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