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The Saffron Crocus Bulb is a beautiful autumn blooming Crocus (Crocus sativus). Saffron is the quintessential season for paella and other delicious Mediterranean dishes. Rich in taste, aroma and history, Saffron is the whole package in your garden.
The Saffron flower is a Crocus variety that commands attention and throughout history that is exactly what it has done! The spice was very much sought after by the Ancient Greeks for its aroma, colour and health benefits. As early as 400 BC, Hippocrates was writing about how amazing Saffron was and even wrote about it being a ‘cure’ for coughs, colds, stomach aches, insomnia and heart problems!
Famous for the rich yellow coloured powder that Saffron produces, it has been used as dye for clothing for centuries. A single gram of Saffron can dye roughly 40 litres of water, creating a distinctive yellow hue that has been used by buddhist monks for many years. In fact this is still the way they dye their K???ya’s.
The Saffron Crocus produces purple flowers, delicately decorated with fine brush strokes of purple throughout the petals. The 3 pronged stigma protrudes from the centre with a striking crimson colour to contrast beautifully with the rest of the plant, making them really stand out amongst other flowers. The crimson stigmas are what is needed to create the most expensive spice in the world. However, you don’t have to harvest these stigmas. Keep them on the flower to enjoy the contrasting colour and the striking scent they produce.
The Saffron Crocus is hardy and flowers in the autumn before it becomes dormant in April once the foliage dies back. Flowering will commence approximately 40 days from planting although some bulbs will not flower in the first year. Each bulb may produce up to 6 or more flowers over a period of 15 days. The bulbs should be planted 10-15cm (4-6") deep and 5 cm (2") apart in a sheltered, warm, sunny position. Saffron Crocus prefers a well-drained soil in a position that dries out when the plants are dormant. (Dry soil in dormancy prevents the bulbs rotting and aids formation of the flowers for the following autumn). An ideal position would be at the base of a south facing wall or in containers that could be moved into a greenhouse between April and September. Each bulb will only last one season and will be replaced by 1-10 new ones. The new bulbs produced grow above the old ones and will gradually creep nearer the surface so it will be necessary to lift and replant them every few years. This is best done in August.
To obtain saffron, the 25mm red stigmas need to be carefully removed with tweezers as soon as the flowers are fully open on a sunny day. This needs to be done as soon as possible but flowers will last a few days before withering. Dry the strands for approx 10 mins in an oven at 50C. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning and don’t touch the strands before they look dried down. They will become crispy/ crackly when touched. This temperature is required to allow the chemical reactions to occurs that give the saffron its distinct flavour and aroma and improves levels of active ingredients. Once dry the saffron needs to be stored in s sterile airtight container for at least 1 month to allow flavour and aroma to develop./p>
Although the bulbs we supply are of the highest quality, it is possible that some will not flower in the first year. Occasionally some bulbs may need a full season to enable them to reach the size and maturity needed to produce a flower. Feed the corm with potash feeds after flowering and then in Spring to improve chances of flowering next year..
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Orders are despatched promptly by post or parcel carrier. Seasonal items such as plants are sent separately with the estimated delivery times stated against each variety both in our catalogue and on our website.
Please note that when several items are ordered they may not all be delivered at the same time.
Standard Charge
Packet seed only will incur a carriage charge of £2.99.
All other products incur a carriage charge of £6.99.
If your order comprises of a combination of carriage charges then a combined carriage charge of £7.99 will be applied.
Live Plants
Suttons strives to ensure that all its plants are delivered to you in the perfect condition for planting. While the majority of our nursery plants cope well with slight delays in intransit, sadly, the time it takes to deliver to certain locations in the UK means that we can't guarantee this for some of our smaller plug products and tender bedding and vegetable lines, which do not respond well to the extra journey time. So regretfully while we offer the majority of our live plant offering nationwide, we are unable to ship plugs, begging plants and tender vegetable plants to the following areas: HS, IV41-IV49, IV51, IV55-56, KW15-KW17, PA34, PA41-48, PA60-PA78, PA80, PH40-PH44, TR21-TR24, ZE1-ZE3.
Non Standard Deliveries
Unfortunately like many companies in our industry we are currently only able to supply orders to UK based customers, excluding those in Northern Ireland. We are committed to finding a way that we can resume or normal services again as soon as possible. Please accept our apologies for any inconvience caused.
Very Large items
If ordering any large items marked a surcharge of £5 per item will be applied. These items are also not available to areas and postcodes shown under non standard deliveries. We may need to contact you regarding delivery so please provide a contact number with all orders.
Prices include VAT where applicable.
We reserve the right to contact you and advise an additional charge where necessary and are happy to quote for carriage of specific products to more remote areas. Some items may not be available to all areas.
We reserve the right to revise any carriage charges in the event of carrier price increase or other unforeseen circumstances. We will always advise of the carriage charge before payment is taken.
All Suttons products should reach you in perfect condition, just as they left us. If you are dissatisfied in any way with their condition on arrival, please let us know within 14 days. We are only liable for the cost of the goods as quoted on the website plus the cost of delivery if the goods are faulty.
Unlike many companies, we publish all of our reviews - good or bad - to give you, the customer, total transparency and peace of mind.
Load ReviewsThese are our best value plugs plants. These 5cm plugs are great for confident gardeners and should be potted on before planting out.
Great value, robust plug plants for easy handling and care. These 7cm tall plants need potting on but provide a brilliant balance between value and effort.
Requiring little effort, these 12cm tall plug plants are ready to plant in the ground, once the threat of frosts has passed, kick starting your summer bedding display.
We nurture cuttings into these 12cm super plugs for you, offering fantastic value and very little effort. Plant out or pot on for the best results.
Our 9cm potted plants are amazing value and will give your garden a spectacular summer boost. Plant out or pot on for the best results.
Our supersized range of bedding plants will add a huge amount of colour and style to your garden, grown to provide instant impact from delivery!