I decided to try my hand at growing saffron crocus this year, and so far it has been a very interesting project. Saffron crocus, Crocus sativus, is a Mediterranean bulb (technically corm), and likes extremely well-draining soil, with somewhat dry conditions. They bloom in fall, rather than spring, after a dry summer, in full sun. I live in a Mediterranean climate, and thought it would be easy to grow these here, and it has been, so far. I decided to plant them in a very large container, to which I added a 75/25 mix of compost-amended potting soil and grit (I used chicken grit rather than horticultural grit, which is what I had on hand and is a bit larger in size), mixed thoroughly. I have watered sparingly. These flowers have just begun to open, and they are lovely. They apparently handle frost with no problem (Mediterranean plants usually do fine with cold, they just don’t like to be in soggy soil) and will bloom for about a month. In very cold climates, they need to be dug up and stored for the winter; here, they will be just fine.
As you can see from the photo, there are three orange stamens (the male parts) and three red stigmas (the part of the pistil ((female parts)) that receives the pollen). [*Botany tangent: This means there are three chambers in the ovary. There are also three petals and three sepals. They are in the Iris family and this is a hallmark of that family.] The red stigmas are the saffron ‘threads’ that are so treasured for cooking, and cost so much in the store. You can see why. It would take a very great many flowers to make any amount of saffron. For home use, you need the amount that about 10-12 bulbs provide, for most recipes. That means I’ll have enough each year for 1-2 recipes. However, the bulbs, like all bulbs, increase each year, and I’ll be able to divide them and plant them throughout the garden. They are a welcome addition to the fall garden, which can look faded. It is best to pick the stigmas in the morning and then dry them during the day, storing them in a jar when fully dried. Much like asparagus, however, you are not supposed to pick them the first year. In the second and third years there is apparently a very abundant harvest, and then likely they’ll need to be dug up and separated and the whole process starts again.
I bought mine from Renee’s Garden for about $30 for 25 bulbs. They will be available for sale again in spring.