Crocus sativus Bulbs
Best choice for gardeners wanting autumn blooms and homegrown culinary saffron.
Add a touch of late-season elegance to your garden with Crocus sativus bulbs. These unique autumn bloomers provide vibrant lilac-purple flowers as the weather cools, perfect for beds, borders, or containers. Each bulb yields a compact plant, reaching about 6 inches tall, and is famously the source of precious saffron spice. Thriving in Zones 3-8, they are ideal for naturalizing in lawns or adding unexpected fall color to your landscape. Enjoy their beauty and the potential for harvesting saffron from these heirloom varieties.
$17.95
Owner Satisfaction
4.6
/ 5
Category Rank
726
/ 3183
#726 in Plant & Flower Bulbs
Price vs Category Average
-24%
Below average
SKU
0808920
/ -PK-
Who it's for
- Long-term planners looking for reliable, multiplying perennial investments
- Home cooks wanting to harvest their own gourmet spices
- Gardeners seeking vibrant color during the late autumn season
Who should skip it
- Gardeners dealing with heavy populations of hungry local wildlife
- Gardeners lacking the patience for tedious, manual harvest work
- Residents in humid or wet climates where bulbs rot
Performance breakdown
Culinary Utility
Produces genuine saffron threads for high-end home cooking and infusions.
Seasonal Versatility
Provides rare, vibrant color when most garden beds are fading away.
Naturalization Potential
Spreads reliably over time to create lush, self-sustaining floral carpets.
Maintenance Ease
Requires minimal intervention once established in well-drained garden soil.
Hardiness Range
Thrives across a broad spectrum of climates from zones three through eight.
Visual Impact
Compact stature makes them perfect for detailed, close-up landscape accents.
Key Specs
SKU
08089-PK-20
Pack Size
20 Bulbs
Hardiness Zones
3 - 8
Mature Height
6 inches
Mature Width
4 inches
Light Requirements
Full Sun, Part Shade
Soil Type
Normal, Loamy
Soil Drainage
Well-drained
Features
- Autumn blooming for late-season color
- Source of saffron spice
- Compact growth habit
- Flowers open wide revealing detailed veins
- Easy care plants
- Bloom in the first year
- Suitable for naturalizing
- Heirloom variety
What customers say
Consumers are highly satisfied with the exceptional quality and health of these Crocus sativus bulbs upon delivery. The consistent theme across feedback is reliability; buyers report impressive success rates, with many bulbs blooming robustly and yielding valuable saffron threads even in the first season. This strong performance confirms the excellent value for money, transforming the initial investment into a rewarding and productive gardening experience.
Know before you buy
Yes, the vibrant red stigmas found inside the flowers are the source of culinary saffron. You can carefully harvest them once the flowers are fully open, though it takes a significant number of bulbs to produce a substantial amount of spice.
Crocus sativus bulbs should be planted in the fall. Getting them into the ground early in the season allows them to establish roots before they produce their signature autumn blooms.
Yes, these are perennial heirloom bulbs. When planted in well-drained soil in the appropriate hardiness zones, they will naturalize and return to bloom each autumn.
While they perform best in full sun, they are adaptable and will also grow well in partial shade. Ensure the planting site has well-drained soil to prevent the bulbs from rotting.
Because these plants are compact, reaching only 6 inches in height, they look best when planted in clusters or drifts rather than individually. Planting the full pack of 20 in a single area will create a much more striking display in your beds or lawn.
Absolutely. Their compact size makes them an excellent choice for pots or window boxes. Just ensure the container has adequate drainage holes to keep the soil from becoming waterlogged.
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Ask Hayley anything about this product before you decide.
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$18