Saffron Crocus

Crocus sativus

herb

Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) is a small, fall-blooming crocus grown to produce saffron, the worlds most expensive spice. Each lavender-purple flower yields just three vivid red stigmas, which are picked by hand and dried. The corms are planted in late summer and bloom that same autumn, with grass-like foliage that persists through winter and dies back in late spring. It is hardy to about USDA zone 6 and, with the foliage as winter insulation, survives in zones 4 and 5. It needs full sun and very sharp drainage, and the corms must be protected from burrowing rodents.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Marigold — A sunny-bed companion that draws beneficial insects while the crocus is dormant
• Thyme — A low, drought-tolerant herb that shares the lean, well-drained site

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Voles →

  Tunnel and eat corms; line the bed with hardware cloth or plant in baskets

• Squirrels →

  Dig up newly planted corms; cover with wire mesh until established

• Mice →

  Gnaw dormant corms; use barriers and keep the bed clear of debris

• Corm rot →

  Fungal rot in wet soil; plant only in very well-drained ground and never let water stand

🌾 Harvest & storage

Harvest saffron on a dry, sunny morning, picking the open flowers by hand soon after they open. Carefully pull out the three long red stigmas from each flower and dry them gently until brittle, then store them airtight away from light. It takes roughly 150 to 170 flowers to yield a single gram of dried saffron, which is why a small home patch still provides plenty for the kitchen.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Saffron is used in tiny culinary amounts for its color, aroma, and flavor rather than for nutrition. A few threads steeped in warm liquid color and flavor rice, breads, and other dishes.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Saffron used as a culinary spice, a few threads at a time, is safe. Very large medicinal doses of saffron are toxic and can be dangerous in pregnancy, so use only food amounts. Be sure you are planting the true saffron crocus (Crocus sativus, autumn-blooming with red stigmas) and not the unrelated and highly poisonous autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), which looks similar but is deadly.