Crocus 'Saffron'

Description: This fall-flowering species has been known to survive outdoors in the Manitoba landscape (sheltered/mulched), but it is more reliable in pots. Plant three bulbs in a 4" pot and you will be rewarded with purple blooms, and the all-important saffron in late November. Allow plants to go dormant in later December (keeping the bulbs potted), and then start watering again the following August for a repeat show. Apply an organic fertilizer regularly during any of the plant's leafy phases. 

To harvest saffron spice, remove the flowers when fully open and dry on a baking sheet for several days. The culinary part is the stigma (the three deep red filaments that surround the pistils in the center of the flower); carefully remove these and store them out of direct sunlight in a dry location. 

Package Size: 10 bulbs
Zone: 5
Bloom Time: Fall-blooming 
Height: 10 cm
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

$4.99 for a package of 10 bulbs.