Spring crocus is not autumn crocus
A crocus in a spring garden is a Crocus species, an iris-family bulb, and Pet Poison Helpline lists Crocus as causing drooling, vomiting, loss of appetite and diarrhea in dogs and cats. Autumn crocus, also sold as fall crocus or meadow saffron, is a different plant, Colchicum autumnale, in a different family. It contains colchicine, and Pet Poison Helpline lists it as very toxic: severe poisoning with organ failure, and death. The saffron crocus, Crocus sativus, blooms in fall, which makes it easy to mix up with autumn crocus. If you cannot tell which one a pet ate, treat it as autumn crocus and call a veterinarian right away.
Saffron Crocus is a perennial culinary herb, grown for the flavor it brings to the kitchen, ready to harvest about 75 days after planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 9, stands up to deer, handles dry spells once it's established, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its fall flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees, even though the harvest is the prize.
Saffron Crocus — the short answer
Saffron Crocus: grown in zones 6–9, full sun, pH 5.5–8.5, about 75 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 6–9
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 5a–8b
- Soil pH
- 5.5–8.5
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Sun
- Full Sun
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Days to Maturity
- 75 days
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- -10°F
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Saffron Crocus on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether saffron crocus actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score saffron crocus against your land's real conditions.
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See Saffron Crocus
What Saffron Crocus is
Saffron Crocus grows as a perennial and reaches around 6 inches at maturity. It blooms purple in fall. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
Mature height, bloom period, flower colour, deer resistance and container suitability: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Saffron Crocus
Saffron Crocus grows in USDA zones 6 through 9 and is ready to harvest about 75 days after planting. Saffron Crocus does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 8.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,500 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
6-9
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 5a–8b
Soil pH
5.5 - 8.5
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Sun
Full Sun
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Drainage
well (dry spells)
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Frost Kill Temperature
-10°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Days to Maturity
75 days
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
1500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
0.5 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant saffron crocus in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Saffron Crocus prefers pH 5.5 to 8.5. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water while it roots in
Water deeply while saffron crocus establishes, letting the soil dry between soakings; once its roots are in, it rides out dry spells on its own. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Harvest at maturity
Saffron Crocus is ready about 75 days after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Snip sprigs as you need them — regular cutting keeps the foliage tender and slows it bolting to flower.
Where Saffron Crocus thrives
Saffron Crocus is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 6–9 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 14 outright and splits 34 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–9·Where Saffron Crocus growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Saffron Crocus stands, state by state
Saffron Crocus is rated for zones 6–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 14 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 34 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–9
14 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 14 shown
The line runs through
34 states
3 of 34 shown
Saffron Crocus’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 6–9
3 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- South Dakota · zones 4a-5b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Saffron Crocus
Growing guides for saffron crocus
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — saffron crocus is toxic to dogs and cats. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: Pet Poison Helpline.)
Saffron Crocus offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Before you harvest saffron crocus, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant saffron crocus for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 950K indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Saffron Crocus's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Saffron Crocus will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether saffron crocus actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Saffron Crocus
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Saffron Crocus in my zone?
Saffron Crocus grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 9. Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Saffron Crocus take to grow?
Saffron Crocus is ready to harvest about 75 days after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Saffron Crocus?
Most growers plant saffron crocus after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Saffron Crocus need?
Saffron Crocus needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Saffron Crocus need?
Saffron Crocus prefers soil pH 5.5 to 8.5, on well-drained ground. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Saffron Crocus attract pollinators?
Yes — saffron crocus's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Is Saffron Crocus safe for pets?
Saffron Crocus is toxic to dogs and cats. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: Pet Poison Helpline.)
Keep exploring Saffron Crocus
Saffron Crocus state by state
Every state saffron crocus's zone reaches — 36 link straight to that state's saffron crocus growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.