The Saffron Experiment: Dormancy
May 24, 2008 by Andrea 
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Filed under Gardening, Grow Your Own
As the weather heats up, the saffron crocuses have slipped into dormancy. The foliage died off, only this one plant has leaves remaining, and for the next few months I will just have to wonder if they will come back in late September bearing the precious saffron. Our indoor crocuses slipped into dormancy early, and I plan to leave them out on the porch this summer so they will hopefully get on schedule with the others. This is the hard part for me—waiting! By mid-September I will probably start obsessively checking for little green leaves!
Early this spring we had a four-legged visitor sneaking nibbles off the leaves during the night, and a few were eaten right to the ground. To protect our little jewels, we sprinkled cayenne pepper on the leaves and around the ground and then put little cages around the plants, and our plants were safe after that. No more middle-of-the-night snacking!
Previous Saffron Posts
The Saffron Experiment, Six Months and Counting
Love that the cayenne pepper would stop the snacking! Best on the return of the saffron.