Saffron Crocus

How to grow Saffron Crocus

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Plant corms in late summer, 10–15 cm deep and about 10 cm apart, in the hottest, driest, best-drained position available. A raised bed, gravel bed or deep pot in full sun gives far better results than open border soil, because the corms need a genuine summer baking to flower.

Pruning

None. The grassy leaves persist through winter into spring and must be left to die back on their own.

Propagation

The plant is sterile and sets no seed, so it is increased only by lifting and separating offsets during summer dormancy.

Pests and diseases

Mice and voles eat the corms, and squirrels dig them up. Corm rot follows wet summer soil.

Value to wildlife

Late autumn flowers give nectar to any bees still flying, though the season is short and the weather often against it.

Notes

This is the source of culinary saffron — the three red stigmas in each flower, picked by hand on the morning the flower opens and dried. A worthwhile crop needs a great many corms; a domestic patch yields a pinch, not a jar. Shy flowering is almost always down to a cool, damp summer rather than anything you did wrong.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Crocus sativus but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

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