I tried to buy bulbs before from companies that come up in a first page of google, but never had any good luck with them - they usually come unhealthy, small in size, sometimes not flowering first year and so on… They also have huge packages of same kind, and it it is a mix, it is never clear what colors they would be. I am mostly interested in crocuses this year.
Color Blends Wholesale Bulbs @ ColorBlends.com ; K.Van Bourgondien & Sons @ DutchBulbs.com ; Van Engelen Inc @ VanEngelen.com
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I’ve had luck with Bourgondien. I also have had good luck with Brecks… https://m.brecks.com/product/Saffran_Fall_Blooming_Crocus
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Thank you!
I got a nice batch of saffron crocus, at an excellent price, from White Flower Farms, nearly 10 years ago. We have hundreds of saffron crocuses now. I googled saffron crocus and compared before buying.
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This list is a good batch all backed up by garden watch dog https://www.gardengatemagazine.com/articles/flowers-plants/all/buy-bulbs-online-best-mail-order-web-sites/
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@NuttingBumpus
Would love to see a separate thread on saffron. As the most expensive spice in the world I think many people would be interested https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qfUrLteNu8E
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Sounds like a good idea, especially as it will be blooming in about 4-6 weeks.
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Isn’t it poisonous plant? I use to think that fall flowering crocus is poisonous - all the parts of the plant.
Well, not the violet-orange colored style! It becomes a thin thread when dried, and is saffron, the spice. We’ve handled the corms the bare hands three times in the 10 years we’ve (wife and I) dug up and separated them - by the hundreds. No adverse reactions to them at all.
Saffron crocus is a different species than the “naked ladies” that bloom in fall. Those might need to be handled carefully. I have no direct experience nor reading about those.
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@galinas
This is how it’s used https://www.highcountrygardens.com/flower-bulbs/crocus-flower-bulbs/growing-saffron-crocus I apologize for hijacking the thread a little but love that @NuttingBumpus Dave is growing this spice!
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Interesting that the site recommends growing them in zones 6 and warmer. We’re in zone 5/6 (changed over the past decade) and we bury 'em 4-6" down and another inch or two of mulch. Winters get to zeroF or a bit below every year and we’ve suffered no losses of saffron.
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Here is 6A we can get down to -20F but usually don’t get that cold for long.
I’ll keep you up on mine. I planted 40 bulbs last week
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bumping a zombie thread, and I know it’s late in the season, but anyone by chance have any saffron crocus they’re splitting? Would gladly pay postage for a few corms to start as part of my “covid-garden”…
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To add to the list, I’d also recommend Fedco’s Bulbs division. Their selection isn’t the widest, but it’s interesting. Everything I’ve gotten from them is high quality, and prices are reasonable.
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https://www.dutchgardens.com/files/catalog/spring2020/index.html
I finally found a variety I had purchased in the late 90s at this company and they are blooming well.
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