Saffron crocus blooming yet?

Okay, my saffron crocus bulbs sprouted a few weeks ago but it is late November and I am still waiting to see anything remotely resembling a flower. This is my first time trying them and I was under the impression that I should see some flowers by now. I was under the impression that I would already be a saffron exporting household (or at least get a few threads). Will they survive to flower yet or was it wishful thinking that they would flower here? The squirrels got a few of the bulbs but there are plenty of "sprouts". Anyone with experience from up around here or in the Great White North?

I put in 75 of them 3 weeks ago and have only had a handful come up so far... maybe they just stutter during their first year. Those that have come up are barely managing to put a flower bud up above the mulch.... I'm wondering if I planted them too deeply.... they're no more than 1 or 2 inches below the soil surface, but then I added an inch or so of mulch on top of that.

My kotchyana crocus have yet to make an appearance this fall, also. I planted them on the late side last fall and saw no sign of them until spring, when they put up foliage but no blooms. Aaron ("Rare Bulbe & Plants" eBay store guy) says they don't bloom until December for him, so maybe the weather just needs to be cool a little longer. I do think I uncovered a couple of sprouting ones while planting some spring flowering allium in a nearby corner.... So I'm hopeful.

Escubed,
My saffron crocus were at about the same state as yours, leaves, but no flowers. Then we got several warm days and some rain and this morning I have one bloom coming out, so keep an eye out!

Jomejamo

You have flower buds? All I have are the leaves and I planted well before you did. Did the buds come before the leaves? Now I am even more concerned.

Thanks Jomejamo. It is warmer and wetter this week so maybe there is still hope.

I've never grown the Crocus sativus but I do grow many fall-flowering crocus. They bloom in October-November if planted in EARLY SEPTEMBER. So if they are not blooming yet, it is probably because they were planted too late. The plants may sacrifice flowers this year but should bloom on schedule next fall. My Crocus kotchyanus bloomed in late October, as did C. pulchellus, medius and goulimyi. C. nudiflorus bloomed in late September. C. ochroleucus is late for me and is just starting to show burds. C. speciosus peaked about 2 weeks ago but is still looking pretty good.

"should bloom on schedule next fall"

That's what I thought about the C. kotchyanus I planted late last year.... they put up foliage this spring, but no sign of them so far this fall! Maybe after today's rain.....

And let me add, Todd, that you've given me a bunch of additional crocus varieties to check out -- wheeeeee!

I planted my bulbs about a week after receiving them at the "appropriate" time for my area. So if they don't bloom this year it is not because I delayed but rather I planted when it was determined that I was supposed to. I'll be more than a little disappointed as I ordered the bulbs plenty early enough.

I've had my share of companies that send 'at the proper time for planting in your area'. Usually they wait much too late. Fall-flowering bulbs (Crocus, Colchicum, Cyclamen hederifolium and Sternbergia) should be planted late August to mid-September. They need a few weeks in the ground before they will send up flowers. I've planted C. speciosus which had 1 inch sprouts on the bulbs. You'd think they would flower within days of planting, but they still took a month before they bloomed. Colchicum are an exception...they will send up flowers even if the bulb is not planted at all! Mind you, that is not healthy for the long time survival of the plant.

chiming in here.....unfortunately, my experience with saffron crocus has not been too favorable- which i finally decided was because new england is too wet and cold for them to grow well- they lasted about 3 years in my garden, dwindling every year, then they disappeared completely.. i hope you'll have better luck! commercial producers of saffron seem to be places like spain....sigh.....

I guess I give up for this year. There's snow on the ground and it has been below freezing for a few nights already. While I accept the Mediterranean heritage of the saffron crocus I bought into the what the catalogs said about the zones where it would grow. Wait until next year...even the Red Sox (and the White Sox this year) eventually "bloomed" after enough repetitons of the mantra.

whew- a lot of snow today!, that's for sure---