Thanks all for the good advice for growing crocus sativus ! And to Vijay Chandhok for the pic, it's interesting to see how they plant and harvest the saffron. I've put together the info so it's easier for folks to review coz several others might be asking the same questions after the saffron bulb distribution as donated by Tim Eck from his friend. So I'll be using a pot that should be at least 6" or more deep with either the half inch hardware cloth that Tim Eck recommended or the avian mesh from my local Ace hardware as Jane McGary used, whichever the store has. I suspect it's mainly the squirrels who dug up and dined on my tulips and snowflakes/Leucojum bulbs and replace them with acorns. And "If all else fails" Tim says "you can put the whole pot in a little cage"! :-) Planting time is advised as immediately or by end of August. As end of August is not that long away, I might as well plant them now with hydrated soil mix made of 2 parts horticultural sand(coarse sand) - 1 perlite - 1 compost(or forest humus) which is Jane McGary's tried and true bulb mix and have a layer of sand/granite under the mix. I'll keep them moist maybe watering only once a week seeing that I'm in a dry 9b zone. Tim mentions "they will bloom (at least the larger ones) sitting on a shelf if you don't plant them in time and they will be pushing leaves at the same time." Incredibly the bulbs seem to need next to no water! They are pretty forgiving bulbs as well. Tim also says they wouldn't mind "being too wet during winter growth unless you submerge them" and to treat them to "a little fertilizer during the winter too." Arnold Trachtenberg has "grown them here in N New Jersey for 20 years"...They survive complete neglect. I see the flowers in Oct-Nov... The foliage of the saffron crocus persists well into winter." Jim McKenney knows of "a famous gardener who grew his saffron crocuses in a big above ground tub in his Ithaca, New York garden. Evidently they can take the cold?" "They're perfectly hardy here in Denver, too, where it never rains in the winter. (So that's no help.) The overwintering leaves will withstand -25C, but rabbits, and maybe mice, will mow down the leaves on a winter night when the dog is asleep. The constant removal of leaves weakens the corms. I cover them with attractive cages made out of chicken wire." from Bob Nold. I'd love to see the designer cages! :-) Mike Mace says "My usual rule for most Crocus is to keep them in a dry cool place until mid-October, and plant them then. But I saw something online saying C.sativus doesn't store well and must be planted immediately. If you do store them, I'd keep an eye on them for signs of either growth or withering. By the way, you'll still have critter risks even if you don't plant until fall. I highly recommend embedding a circle of half-inch diameter chicken wire in the top of your pot, just under the soil. The bulbs can grow up through it, but the little mice can't get down." Thanks Mike! as you are in the same county, your advice is much appreciated! It's in line with general consensus and I'll plant now-ish with critter protection. Btw how deep of a pot do you use for crocus? Many thanks to all! If my bulbs do sprout and bear * saffron * !!! and if people think it's useful I'll see if I could put it somewhere on the pbs website. Best regards, -Elaine. _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…