Saffron crocus or fan hong hua in chinese, cafran in french or zafferano in italian is a stunning spring flower to have in your garden. It belongs to the Iris family and is thought to have originated in Southern Europe and Central Asia.
WATCH: How to make saffron scones with Middle Eastern citrus and date jam
How to grow and care for saffron
Climate
Grow saffron in temperate areas and dry Mediterranean conditions. Tropical areas are unsuitable.
Aspect
Saffron grows best in full sun and will not grow in the shade.
Soil
Plant in well-drained soil. To ensure your soil is well drained, dig in organic fertiliser before planting.
Water
Keep the soil moist while the bulbs are growing. Once established, be careful not to over-water.
Fertiliser
As producing the flowers consumes a lot of energy, add a slow-release fertiliser to the bulbs once the leaves and flowers appear, and keep the soil moist but not water-logged or the bulbs will rot.
Maintenance
Once the flowers have gone, don’t cut back the leaves, as they are vital for restoring energy to the bulb. Once dormant, allow the soil to dry out.
How to plant saffron?
Plant saffron with 5cm of soil covering the bulbs and space them 15cm apart. Plant profusions of early flowering crocus as a gift for bees, hungry after the lean winter months.
Can you eat saffron?
Saffron has been used as a dye and spice since ancient times. The expensive spice is made from the dried stigmas of one fall-blooming crocus species. With one purple flower producing three stigmas at a time, it comes to no surprise that the spice is compared to being as precious as gold. To give you a better picture into why it’s such a costly garnish, it takes about 50 to 60 saffron flowers to produce just one tablespoon of saffron spice.
To note: stigmas must be harvested straight after the flowers open.
You might need
You may also like
Top 5 low maintenance bulbs for your garden
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
