How to Grow Crocus Sativus in the Northeast

USDA Zones 5 and 6

• 1

  Prepare a planting bed for saffron crocus corms in time for planting in late summer. Choose a sunny spot in the garden in a gritty, well-drained bed that is only moderately fertile with organic matter. At least eight hours of daily sunlight is needed, and a sandy, gravelly loam soil with 40 to 50 percent compost is ideal. A raised bed suffices to ensure excellent drainage.

• 2

  Plant the saffron crocus corms 3 inches deep in the planting bed in late summer, when the corms arrive dormant from the flower bulb supplier. Orient the corms upright so the pointed tip of the corm is upright in the planting hole or furrow. Plant the corms in any arrangement -- rows or in random order -- spaced 2 inches apart.

• 3

  Water the newly planted saffron crocus lightly to remove any air pockets and bring the soil into direct contact with the corms. Allow natural rainfall to keep the soil barely moist. Do not overwater, as saffron crocus needs a relatively warm, dry soil in summer. Evenly moist soil is needed only when the slender green leaves appear from fall to late spring.

• 4

  Allow the foliage to persist after the flowers appear in early to mid autumn. Keep falling tree leaves off the bed so the leaves photosynthesize light. The crocus leaves replenish the corms and create new corms for next year. An evenly moist soil sustains the leaves. By late spring, saffron crocus foliage dies back naturally and the corms rest dormant until the flower buds pop up from the ground in autumn.

• 5

  Apply a weak nitrogen fertilizer to the crocuses when the leaves are present. Nitrogen helps fuel leaf growth and production of new corms underground from fall to spring.

• 6

  Mark the area where the saffron crocuses grow before the foliage disappears. A ring of small rocks, a flag or a stick will suffice. Knowing where the crocus corms are planted helps you find them later to conduct any transplanting.

• 7

  Keep the planting area dry once the foliage dies down in late spring. Saffron crocus needs a sunny, dry and warm soil while dormant across the summer months. Wet or cool soil encourages rot. Do not irrigate the saffron crocus bed during summer.

• 8

  Dig up the dormant corms carefully with a trowel in August. Discard any shriveled or damaged corms.

• 9

  Rework the soil in the planting bed, adding fresh compost or sandy grit. The soil to organic matter ratio is 1:1. Replant the crocus corms at a depth of 3 inches. Tamp the soil but do not water the area. Keep the soil warm and dry.

USDA Zones 3 and 4

• 10

  Plant the saffron crocus in any sunny, well-drained soil in the garden in late August or early September. Because saffron crocus will not overwinter in the brutally cold winters in northern parts of the Northeast, the corms will desiccate and die. Therefore, this crocus species is grown as an annual to enjoy the flowers or harvest the pistils to make saffron spice.

• 11

  Dig planting holes 3 inches deep, spacing bulbs no closer than 2 inches from each other. Tamp down the soil with your hand.

• 12

  Water the soil lightly to moisten it. Do not overwater. Wait for the crocuses to sprout their flowers from the ground four to eight weeks later.

• 13

  Allow the winter cold to kill the saffron crocus corms, with no worry about fertilizing or watering the foliage. Order new, fresh dormant bulbs from the bulb supplier for delivery and planting again next late summer.