Saffron bulbs (red gold)

Saffron: The Red Gold You Can Grow at Home

Delivery in August. Plant upon receipt, and until the first week of September.

Product of Quebec
Size: 9 to 10 cm in circumference

Did you know you can grow the world's most precious spice in your own garden?

Saffron, also known as red gold, comes from the delicate flowers of Crocus sativus, a plant as beautiful as it is generous. What is planted is not a true bulb but a corm, a storage organ that multiplies year after year underground.

Why Grow Saffron?

• Easy to grow: all it needs is well-drained soil and a little patience in autumn.
• Spectacular flowering: the purple flowers beautify the garden in a season when almost nothing else is in bloom.
• In the kitchen: risotto, paella, desserts, just a few stigmas are enough to transform a dish.
• A lasting investment: once established, a clump multiplies on its own and divides after a few years.

The Saffron Cycle, Season After Season

Unlike most bulbs, the saffron crocus actively grows during the cold months and goes dormant in summer. Understanding this inverted cycle is key to a beautiful bloom.

• Late Summer (August and September): Rains and cooler temperatures awaken the corm. This is when it begins to germinate underground, developing its roots and first shoots.
• Autumn (October and November): The purple flowers emerge quickly, usually 4 to 6 weeks after sprouting or planting. It is during this short period that the precious red stigmas are harvested.
• Winter: After flowering, the corm produces long green leaves that persist under snow and frost. This foliage allows it to nourish itself and multiply underground.
• Summer (May to August): The leaves yellow and dry in spring. The corm then enters complete dormancy, during which it must not be watered at all.

How many bulbs do you need for a good harvest?

• Each corm produces 1 to 3 flowers.
• Each flower yields 3 stigmas, which is about 0.006 g of dried saffron.
• It takes approximately 150 to 200 flowers to obtain 1 gram of dried saffron.

Density according to objective

Dividing Your Corms

Why divide? Each mother corm naturally produces new corms around it. Left unattended, a clump eventually exhausts itself and flowers less generously. Regular division gives each corm more space and reserves.

When? Only in summer, never in spring. The signal to watch for: the foliage must have completely yellowed and disappeared, proof that the corm has finished storing its reserves for the year. Here, we generally aim for a clump that has been in place for 3 to 5 years before touching it; before that, division yields little.

How? Carefully remove the entire clump from the soil, separate the corms from each other by hand rather than with a knife (less risk of injury), and set aside the largest ones for replanting: these are the ones that will flower best in the first year. You can replant them immediately or keep them dry until the August planting period.

Did You Know?

The corm usually begins to germinate in September, hence the importance of planting it as soon as it is received in August.

Our Crocus sativus corms are offered in limited quantities each year. Reserve your saffron bulbs now.

Pickup in Montreal: book your appointment now, BOOK online.

Pickup in Saint-Didace: contact Les Jardins by phone at 450-835-5813 upon receipt. Your order will be ready on site and identified with your name.