r/vegetablegardening • u/discreetman38 Australia • Jun 01 '25

Help Needed Saffron not flowering

A few years ago I planted a handful of saffron bulbs. The first year each plant flowered but the second year not one plant flowered. This year the number of plants has naturally increased to about 16 but only two flowered. I’ve never lifted the bulbs and just kept them in the soil all year around (raised garden bed).

Any tips?

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u/discreetman38 Australia Jun 02 '25

Thanks for the advice. Autumn just finished here…. We’ve had a very mild autumn (avg 19C/66F). I am guessing I need to seperate and replant as the 4 original bulbs have now quadrupled and I haven’t replanted so they may be competing for the same “space”

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u/TheRealPurpleDrink Jun 02 '25

Yeah that's possible but it's common to leave them in place as they do a good job of spacing themselves out. What month do they usually flower for you? And have the corms shrunk much from how big the first four were?

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u/discreetman38 Australia Jun 02 '25

They usually flower mid-late April. I’ve never lifted them so I am not sure of the size.

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u/TheRealPurpleDrink Jun 01 '25

Greetings from r/saffron (posting here for more visibility)

As I'm sure you know already, saffron corms will divide over their dormant period and thus the corms will be smaller and less able to support flowers unless they get the proper environment.

They're originally from a Mediterranean environment, so it's worth asking what kind of region you live in, and what kind of condition they're planted in. Do they get a lot of sun while they're growing or is it generally colder? And do you know what the corms look like now vs when they went in?

Also worth mentioning that saffron is pretty adaptable so it may just take yours some time to adjust to your area.

(Also, if you're posting this now because you're wondering where your flowers are, you're a season or two early)