THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs CELEBRATING 28 YEARS! 2: We just moved into a new house last fall. My neighbor told me the previous owner planted hundreds of crocuses. I've never had crocuses before, what are they like? - Donna A: Crocuses are fascinating. They are perennials that tolerate cold temperatures well and are among the first bloomers in the garden every year. Crocuses are members of the iris family that bloom in an array of colors: yellow, white, blue, violet and striped. There are over 80 varieties known around the world and over 30 are cultivated commercially. While most crocus varieties bloom in the late winter and spring, there is one particularly interesting variety, the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), that blooms in the fall. The saffron crocus has been around for thousands of years and bred to have especially long threads, which when picked and dried, are used to make the well-known saffron spice. Amazingly, it takes about 80,000 crocus flowers to produce 1 lb. of saffron! To satisfy the estimated 600,000 lb. annual worldwide demand for saffron, over 50 million crocuses contribute their stigmas! That's a lot of hand-picking! Not surprisingly, Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, selling for up to $5,000 per oz.! Thank you for a great question. THESE ARTICLES ARE GOING DIGITAL! DON'T MISS OUT! SCAN THE QR, SIGN UP & SUBMIT YOUR OWN QUESTIONS Sprigs & Twigs WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET | 860-235-0752 THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs CELEBRATING 28 YEARS ! 2 : We just moved into a new house last fall . My neighbor told me the previous owner planted hundreds of crocuses . I've never had crocuses before , what are they like ? - Donna A : Crocuses are fascinating . They are perennials that tolerate cold temperatures well and are among the first bloomers in the garden every year . Crocuses are members of the iris family that bloom in an array of colors : yellow , white , blue , violet and striped . There are over 80 varieties known around the world and over 30 are cultivated commercially . While most crocus varieties bloom in the late winter and spring , there is one particularly interesting variety , the saffron crocus ( Crocus sativus ) , that blooms in the fall . The saffron crocus has been around for thousands of years and bred to have especially long threads , which when picked and dried , are used to make the well - known saffron spice . Amazingly , it takes about 80,000 crocus flowers to produce 1 lb. of saffron ! To satisfy the estimated 600,000 lb. annual worldwide demand for saffron , over 50 million crocuses contribute their stigmas ! That's a lot of hand - picking ! Not surprisingly , Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world , selling for up to $ 5,000 per oz . ! Thank you for a great question . THESE ARTICLES ARE GOING DIGITAL ! DON'T MISS OUT ! SCAN THE QR , SIGN UP & SUBMIT YOUR OWN QUESTIONS Sprigs & Twigs WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET | 860-235-0752