When to plant crocuses in Stuttgart: 9 October – end of December

In Stuttgart, crocus: plant from 9 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Gärtnerei Locher (plant nursery, 1 km) and Hofladen Wais (farm shop, 4 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 Stuttgart: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in January; the coldest, January, averages -1.2 °C.

Planting	9 October – end of December
First autumn frost	8 November
Coldest nights	January, -1.2 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Daylight	11:14 on 9 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:15

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

Crocus in Stuttgart: 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 Stuttgart the average daily temperature stays at 10 °C or lower for about 25 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 Stuttgart, Nuremberg is 5 days earlier and Wiesbaden 15 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Karlsruhe	62 km	20 October – end of December	11 days later
Strasbourg	108 km	21 October – end of December	12 days later
St. Gallen	152 km	19 October – end of December	10 days later
Frankfurt	152 km	18 October – end of December	9 days later
Nuremberg	157 km	4 October – end of December	5 days earlier
Wiesbaden	160 km	24 October – end of December	15 days later

Where to buy crocus for planting in Stuttgart

Planting stock goes into the ground from 9 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Stuttgart OpenStreetMap lists 34 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 10 plant nurseries, 28 markets and 99 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Genusslädle — farm supply
24/7 · 15 km
Gärtnerei Locher — plant nursery
Zur Uhlandshöhe 49, 70188 Stuttgart · 1 km · locher-gaertnerei.de
Reyer-Hofladen — farm shop · sells: egg, milk, vegetables
Unteraicher Straße 4, 70567 Stuttgart · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:30; Sat 08:00–13:00 · 7 km · reyerhof.de
Hofladen Champagnestraße — farm shop · sells: berries, vegetables
Champagnestraße 1, 73734 Esslingen am Neckar · Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 08:30–18:00; Sat 08:30–15:00; Sun, public holidays closed · 9 km · clauss-gartenbau.de
Kartoffelständle Löffler-Hof — farm shop · sells: vegetables
Krummenland 1, Waiblingen · Mon–Sat 08:00–19:00 · 14 km · loeffler-hof.de
Hofladen Wais — farm shop
Epplestraße 52, 70597 Stuttgart · Wed 10:00–12:00; Sat 08:00–12:00 · 4 km · gans-degerloch.de
Hof am Eichenhain — farm shop
Eichenparkstraße 2, 70619 Stuttgart · Mon–Thu 18:00–19:00; Fri 15:00–19:00; Sat 09:00–12:00 · 6 km · hof-am-eichenhain.de
Obsthof Hörnle — farm shop
Ditzinger Straße 40, 70499 Stuttgart · "Erdbeeren täglich"; Sat 08:00–13:00 · 7 km · obsthofhoernle.de

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