Saffron Collection

We present a Saffron Collection of 34 Saffron Bulbs (Latin name Crocus sativus), whose flowers will be purple or white depending on the plants. If you harvest your own saffron, the red-orange filaments that so beautifully enhance their crocus flowers will add a characteristic flavour and colour to your cooking. The saffron crocus is planted in summer, during its dormant period, and is easily grown in full sun, in a very well-drained, light soil that is preferably kept dry in summer. Hardiness: -15 °C (5 °F) or below.

The collection consists of:

14 White Saffron Crocuses in size 6+ (a lovely variety with white flowers)

20 Crocus sativus in size 8+ (the type species)

Individually labelled.

Crocus sativus is a perennial geophyte plant (having an underground storage organ) of the Iridaceae family. It is a sterile plant, not producing viable seeds, probably resulting from the hybridisation of two wild crocuses, which appeared several thousand years ago somewhere in Greece or Turkey according to specialists. The saffron crocus has a corm (swollen base of the stem) that allows it to go into a dormant state in summer, thus escaping summer drought. Its foliage consists of 6 to 10 very thin dark green linear leaves, 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) long, which are a little leathery and bordered by cilia. It develops in autumn, persists throughout winter and disappears in early summer. Flowering usually takes place in October, before the appearance of foliage, at the same time or just after. The large, spectacular 10 cm (4 in) flowers emerge directly from the ground. They are very beautiful, formed by a corolla with 6 petals, the centre of which is occupied by 3 stamens with anthers covered in yellow pollen and 3 long red filaments called stigmas, harvested and dried to be used in cooking as a spice or colouring agent. The petals are mauve veined with purple in the type species, while the white variety has white petals veined with purple. Unlike most crocus species, these flowers remain open even in the dark.

Crocus sativus can be used in the vegetable garden, of course, but also in an ornamental garden, as it is as decorative as it is useful. It can be planted in beds, borders, rockeries, or even in pots for autumn crocuses. In the garden, it can be planted along the edge of a bed or in a rockery, always in full sun and in well-drained, light soil, and can be associated with pretty perennial ground covers for dry soil: Artemisia lanata, wild thyme, Phyla nodiflora, or Cerastostigma plumbaginoides with its red foliage in autumn, and many others. Tall ornamental garlics like Allium christophii, as well as Scilla peruviana, Amaryllis belladonna, Sternbergia lutea, or other bulbs that appreciate dry summer soils, will also make good companions for saffron crocuses.

Mainly produced in Iran, saffron is harvested every day from the flowers (the flowers have a short life of about 48 hours), ideally at sunrise to preserve its taste qualities. Once harvested, the stigmas are dried: let them dry for about twenty minutes in a slightly warm oven (60 °C (140 °F)) and then store them in airtight containers. It takes 150 flowers to produce one gram of saffron.