I would have been nine in 1986, when my hometown of Birmingham held its first Superprix, a street circuit motor race through the city centre. In a clear sign of things to come, I couldn’t have cared less about the race – but I was captivated by the crocus spelling out ‘Birmingham Superprix’ in block capitals on a sloping bank alongside Bristol Street. I recall being glued to the car window whenever we drove into town in subsequent springs, desperate to glimpse those orange, white and purple goblets opening out to form the huge letters. The Superprix lasted only five years, but apparently, the crocus are still there.
I’m sure Dutch crocus were responsible for me forever associating a busy Birmingham road , such as ‘Golden Yellow’ or ‘Yellow Giant’ with its large canary-coloured goblets, white ‘Jeanne d’Arc’, or purple and white striped ‘Pickwick’.
