Cretan-homes, Crete property estate agents

‘Flowers of Crete’ Newsletter November/December 2007

It is with special excitement that I am looking forward to the coming season.  Away in England concerned with family matters during most of July, August and September, the thought of the first winter rains in Crete seemed a little remote.  In England it was raining almost every day! Now I am back with the prospect of a feast of flowers from now until May, perhaps even July.

The new season has brought many changes – a new name, a new website and many new challenges.  The flora of Crete is changing – new species are escaping from gardens and establishing themselves in the countryside.  Some like the dreaded and ubiquitous Bermuda Buttercup are not to be encouraged, others take their places amongst the native residents, very much as many of us have done – quietly and thankfully.

One of the first of the autumn bulbs to put in an appearance is the Sternbergia – it looks like a yellow crocus and is, indeed, from the same family. The English name is the vaguely misleading Autumn Daffodil.  There are three species on Crete, but only one is endemic – S. greuteriana. To the non-botanist, however, they do all look pretty much alike and to complicate matters they have a tendency to interbreed. The native variety is somewhat smaller than the other two, but otherwise they do seem fairly interchangeable.

Sternbergia lutea                  ©Flowers of Crete & ArcadianArt

Another tiny little autumn bulb which can be seen everywhere once the rains have set in is Prospero Autumnale….it looks a little like a fragile hyacinth, which indeed it is! Fairly insignificant on its own, it takes on a breathtaking appearance when seen in large drifts, turning the hillsides a pale, greyish mauve.

A rare plant in Crete is the beautiful Colchicum cupanii which can only be found for certain in small coastal areas between Heraklion and Aghios Nikolaos and to the west of Chania.  Its delicate flowers are a joy, as can be seen from the image below.

Colchicum cupanii            © Flowers of Crete & ArcadianArt

The sweetly perfumed Narcissus serotinus is almost over now around Pano Elounda, but you may be lucky enough to find it at higher altitudes.

In the mountains, the tiny endemic Colchicum cretense can be seen, often growing alongside Crocus oreocreticus – one of my own special favourites.  This crocus is also endemic and only grows in the east of the island. It is listed as endangered and its bulbs and habitats must be protected, to prevent the island loosing another of its precious assets.  It is for this reason I have taken Crocus oreocreticus as the emblem for this new venture.  

Crocus oreocreticus  © Flowers of Crete & Arcadianart