Saffron in the South?

I live in New Orleans, Zone 9a. I would desperately love to grow saffron. from what I understand, like many bulbs, saffron does not reliably come back in our zone. In discussion in the article written by Darius, http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/560/, she mentions chilling the bulbs in the south. When are the bulbs chilled = after the foliage does down or right before fall planting? Does anyone have any idea how to do this? Or can you refer me to a site for more info.
Jo-Ann

http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2405/how-to-grow-saffron

This was a very interesting site. I never knew the Amish grew it quite readily! Thanks for asking about it. :)

Since it says this: "The saffron crocus, Crocus sativus, is an excellent addition to any landscape in Zone 6 through Zone 9."
I guess you don't chill the bulbs.

This message was edited Aug 16, 2010 10:47 AM

I just decided to order some to try. I looked at a couple of places and the one with all good reviews from our Garden Watchdog was Esbenshade's. http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/7051/
So I'm also going to find out how they do here!

Thanks for the info, Pamela. When the zones are indicated, it refers to the hardiness zones, how cold it gets in the winter. I always have to wonder how that translates to heat zones. Heat zones are "heat days"-temperatures over 86 degrees. For example, New Orleans, has a hardiness zone of 9, and a heat zone of 9. The coastline of Oregon also has a hardiness zone of 9 but it has a heat zone of 2. Many plants, especially bulbs, just cannot survive the heat & humidity of the higher heat zones. Here's a good article on heat zones http://www.ahs.org/publications/heat_zone_map.htm. And here's a map of the heat zones http://www.ahs.org/pdfs/05_heat_map.pdf.

We crossposted!!

I'm also going to give them a try. I ordered from American Meadows, http://www.americanmeadows.com/FallFlowerBulbs/FallFloweringCrocus/WorldFamousSaffronCrocus.aspx. when they were on sale for 15 for $9.73, with shipping $12.68. Even if they don't survive the summer, I can probably get more home grown saffron for $12.68 than I can buy.

I'm not sure how they'll survive either, but for the price, I'll find out. At least they'll be pretty and plus get the saffron too.

I've been doing some web research, and it seems saffron needs dry summers to survive & prosper. They start growing & blossoming in the fall, & go dormant in late spring. This is when the withholding of water is critical, they can take the heat, but not the rain. With summers in New Orleans, that's not possible. I may plant mine in containers that I can move to a covered location for the summer.

We'll have to compare notes on their progress. I ordered 50, so I'm going to plant mine all around. This will be my next experiment. I'll do 'here a few' & 'there a few'. I'll see if they let me know where they're happiest. (Or maybe they'll say 'Forget You!')

Pamela, this is going to be fun! I had to look up Navarre on a map, so it seems you're on the Gulf Coast, too. So your summers must be humid & rainy also. I think the problem is going to be, not so much this year's blooms, but will they hang on through the summer. I really think I'm goimg to try mine in pots. In fact, I received an email from American Meadows today that said my bulbs have shipped.
Jo-Ann

I'm going to plant 3 or so in a pot also. I'll put the pot inside a greenhouse for the winter to keep it from getting rained on. Then, according to this website, I'll put those back out in the Fall 2011. Are you doing yours that way, too? I know different websites will say slightly different things. I really would like to find a place I can just get them established, then let Mother Nature take over. I just want to reap the benefits! :o)

http://www.gardenguides.com/97170-growing-saffron-flowers-south-carolina-usa.html

To quote one line in the above mentioned article:

The saffron plant, Crocus sativus, will not tolerate wet soils for any length of period; the bulb will rot if it sits in damp soils for any amount of time.

I have areas that are always dry except when it rains. I'll try some in those spots, too. They are just sandy soil most of the time.

That's about what I'm going to do. I'll plant some in the ground & most in pots. The pots will go into the sun until the leaves die back & the bulbs are dormant. Then I'll leave the pot outside, but in a covered location so that they get no water. In the late summer, I'll bring them back outside again.

I think they must also have a chilling requirement... I got some bulbs last fall that were much delayed in shipping and had such big sprouts on them that I thought they'd be really hard to get into the ground & might not survive. So I added them to some indoor pots. They had attractive grassy foliage (nice around the base of a big amaryllis bulb) but didn't put up a single bloom. So, at any rate, houseplants they are not! LOL

WooHoooooo...My saffron has bloomed. I just cut off the saffron threads and have them on a plate to dry. I have some more that will bloom later.

You are far ahead of me. My saffron is only just starting to grow. I planted them in a pot so that I can more easily protect them during summer months. I planted about a dozen bulbs. I can hardly wait for the blooms.
Jo-Ann