When to plant crocuses in Vienna: 13 October – 29 December

In Vienna, crocus: plant from 13 October to about 29 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include TüWi Hofladen (farm shop, 4 km) and Gartenbaubetrieb P. Wittwer (plant nursery, 6 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 Vienna: soil, season and weather

Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -2.9 °C.

Planting	13 October – 29 December
First autumn frost	12 November
Coldest nights	January, -2.9 °C
Soil back at 1 °C in spring	21 January
Daylight	11:01 on 13 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:20

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

Crocus in Vienna: 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 Vienna 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

Around Vienna, Brno is 6 days earlier and Bratislava 4 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Bratislava	55 km	17 October – end of December	4 days later
Brno	111 km	7 October – 24 December	6 days earlier
Graz	145 km	11 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Linz	154 km	13 October – end of December	same day
České Budějovice	163 km	7 October – end of December	6 days earlier
Pardubice	208 km	11 October – end of December	2 days earlier

Where to buy crocus for planting in Vienna

Planting stock goes into the ground from 13 October to about 29 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Vienna OpenStreetMap lists 36 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 10 plant nurseries, 41 markets and 43 farm shops (collected 7 October 2026).

Maschinen Zisser — farm supply
Mon–Wed, Fri 08:00–12:00, 14:00–18:00; Thu 08:00–12:00; Sat 08:00–12:00 · 11 km · maschinen-zisser.com
Garten Ostermann — plant nursery
Hauptstraße 70, 2351 Wiener Neudorf · Mon, Tue, Thu 09:00–12:00, 14:00–17:00; Fri 09:00–12:00 · 14 km · garten-ostermann.at
Gartenbaubetrieb P. Wittwer — plant nursery
Elsniggasse 1A, 1120 Wien · 6 km · baumschule-baumgartner.eu
TüWi Hofladen — farm shop
Peter-Jordan-Straße 76, 1190 Wien · Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00 · 4 km · tüwi.at
Bio-Feigenhof — farm shop
Am Himmelreich 325, 1110 Wien · Fri 14:00–18:00; Sat 10:00–17:00 || "on appointment" · 7 km · feigenhof.at
Biohof Radl — farm shop
Hirschstettner Straße 85, 1220 Wien · Fri 08:00–18:00; Sat 09:00–14:00 · 8 km · biohof-radl.at
Biohof N°5 — farm shop
Stammersdorfer Straße 5, 1210 Wien · Tue 08:00–12:00, Fri 08:00–16:00, Sat 08:00–12:00; public holidays closed · 11 km · wein.nummer5.at
Franzlbauer — farm shop
Haselbacherstraße 39, 3413 Hintersdorf · Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00 · 14 km · franzlbauer.at

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