You bought your corms, you planted them with hope, and you waited. April arrived, May passed... and nothing happened. Or perhaps you got a lush spray of green grass, but not a single purple flower.
It is the most frustrating moment in a gardener's year.
But before you dig them up or throw them in the compost, take a deep breath. In 90% of cases, your Saffron is not dead. It is simply "blind" (a gardening term for a bulb that doesn't flower).
Here is the complete diagnostic guide to why your Saffron didn't bloom and how to fix it for next year.
Scenario 1: "I have green leaves, but no flowers."
Status: Alive and healthy. The Fix: Patience and Food.
Suppose you have a spray of green, grassy leaves. Congratulations! Your corm is alive, healthy, and growing. The fact that it didn't flower usually comes down to one of three reasons:
1. The "Teenager" Problem (Size Matters) Saffron corms need to reach a certain weight and size before they have the energy to push out a flower. If a corm is slightly undersized, it will make a sensible biological decision: "I don't have enough energy to reproduce this year. I will grow leaves instead."
- The Solution: Do not cut the leaves! The leaves are solar panels. They are currently soaking up the sun to help the bulb bulk up. Feed them with a liquid bulb fertiliser once a month during winter. Next year, they will be big enough to bloom.
2. The "Moving Shock" Saffron corms can be temperamental travellers. Being dug up, dried, shipped in a truck, and replanted in a new climate (your garden) is stressful. Sometimes, a corm will skip a flowering season to settle into its new home.
- The Solution: Patience. Now that it is established in your soil, it will be much happier next autumn.
3. Lack of Heat Saffron needs a "thermal trigger" to flower. It relies on the contrast between the hot summer soil and the cooling autumn air. If you planted them in a very shady spot, they might not have received enough heat energy to trigger the bloom.
- The Solution: Ensure they are in a full-sun position.
Scenario 2: "I have absolutely nothing."
Status: Dormant or Rotted. The Fix: Investigation.
If you have zero growth, no flowers and no leaves by the end of May, something is wrong.
1. They are just late. Sometimes, in cooler pockets of Australia (like the Blue Mountains or Tasmania), Saffron can be a bit shy and emerge later than expected.
- The Test: Gently scratch away the top 2-3cm of soil. Do you see a pale shoot tip pushing up? If yes, cover it back up and wait.
2. The Wet Rot (The #1 Killer) Saffron originates from dry, arid regions. If your soil doesn't drain well, the corm will rot.
- The Test: If there is no sign of life by June, dig up one corm. Squeeze it.
- Firm/Hard: It is healthy, just dormant. Replant it.
- Squishy/Mushy/Smells bad: It has rotted. This is caused by overwatering or heavy clay soil. You will need to try again next year in a pot or raised bed.
3. Rodents, mice and rats, unfortunately, love saffron corms as a snack. If you dig for your bulb and find... nothing, it may have been stolen.
- The Solution: If you have a rodent problem, plant your corms in pots or cover your garden bed with chicken wire mesh buried slightly under the soil surface.
The Golden Rule: Don't Give Up!
The most important thing to remember is that Saffron is a perennial.
Even if you didn't get a harvest this year, you haven't "wasted" your money. If you have green leaves, your corms are currently multiplying underground. You might have planted 3 corms, but by the time you dig them up in summer, you might find 6 or 9.
Gardening is a long game. Feed the leaves, keep them moist during winter, and let them die back naturally in spring. Your patience will be rewarded with a bigger, better display next autumn.
Need to top up your patch? Our premium Saffron Corms are available for purchase here.