I also had a only two Crocus susuallyativus bloom this year and not in the area where I planted them, there were more last year. The fall crocus are doing fine. I grew up in Kashmir a big Crocus sativus growing area, all the fields there are on a plateau with dry soil during the flowering season usually November, You need dry weather so as to not have the color bleeding away in the soil. I can post some photos of the fields once I figure out how. Vijay On Oct 14, 2012, at 12:58 PM, ds429@comcast.net wrote: > > > Years ago I got some Crocus sativus corms from Cathy Craig and they have bloomed faithfully every year since though never in great profusion. This year, however, I can only find two flowers and they are not growing where the original clump was. So I am guessing that a rodent feasted on them. My other autumn crocuses are blooming as well as they ever do. Our summer was very dry until the end when it suddenly turned very wet. I noticed today that one of my very precious Crocus banaticus has offset and formed a clumpette with a dozen blooms. > > > > Dell in SE Pennsylvania, Zone 6/7 > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "James Waddick" <jwaddick@kc.rr.com> > To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2012 10:55:19 AM > Subject: [pbs] Saffron Harvest in Kansas City > > Dear Friends, > > I've lost track, but I think this is day 133 of severe drought. Extreme heat and drought for months, yet we have the beat saffron bloom ever (Crocus sativus). We normally harvest a few dozen flowers, but in two days have picked at least 100 sets of stamens. And the saffron seems more intensely aromatic than usual too, but it may just be the quantity of saffron we picked. > > The color is a rich almost glowing red with a tinge of orange that quickly dries (overnight) to a deeper color and condensed size. > > My bulbs originated from a 'saffron farm' in Pennsylvania a few years ago, but this year they are really putting on quite a show. > > Oddly we have had almost no other fall crocus bloom (and there are few species that actually survive here and few that might appreciate this summer's drought as much as C. sativus). > > Any one else have a bounty of saffron this year? Best Jim > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/