Plant These $1 Bulbs in Your Lawn Now For Drifts of Pretty Fall Flowers

Adding saffron crocus bulbs to your lawn is so easy yet these tiny blooms light up dull fall days in the garden. Most autumn-flowering bulbs need to be planted in spring, but fast-blooming Crocus sativus can be planted in September for blooms in late October and November, so add it to your list of bulbs to plant in fall. Part of the Weekend Win series, this is a 10-minute job that brings a big reward, making saffron crocus one of the best set-and-forget bulbs to buy now.

The chalice-shaped flowers of Crocus sativus grow just 3-6 inches high with petals in the most beautiful lavender hue that’s a fabulous contrast to the fiery tones of fall. Saffron crocus are fabulous plants to refresh containers for fall, too, but adding them to your lawn really shows off their beautiful shape and shade. By the time they bloom, you’ll have stopped mowing your lawn, so you can enjoy drifts of color for many weeks, for years to come.

But the best bit? You can buy 20 Crocus sativus bulbs from Jackson & Perkins for $17.95, which is less than $1 a bulb. So, as budget ideas for a beautiful fall backyard go, this fall crocus is a winner. Here’s exactly what to do…

• Saffron crocus needs full sun and excellent drainage, so choose a suitable spot, avoiding any areas of the lawn where rainwater pools, as this will rot the bulbs. For a natural-looking drift, it’s best to plant one fairly dense clump of bulbs then dot a few bulbs at random intervals around this area.
• To plant the main clump, slice an ‘H’ shape or three sides of a square in the turf and carefully peel back the layer(s) of grass. The turf should separate from the soil easily but slide a spade beneath the grass roots if needs be.
• Plant the bulbs around 4-6 inches deep with the pointed end uppermost and flat root end down. Try and space the bulbs randomly, keeping them at least 4 inches apart.

• Roll the grass back into place and press down to firm the soil.
• For the bulbs set randomly around the central clump, the easiest method is to use a transplanting trowel like this from Amazon (transplanting trowels have a sharper, more pointed end than standard trowels) or a bulb planter that removes plugs of turf like this ProPlugger bulb planter from Lowe’s. To get a natural effect, try throwing the bulbs up in the air and planting them where they fall.

• Water well to ensure the soil settles around the bulbs, and you’ll see flowers in 6 to 10 weeks.

Saffron crocus are suitable for growing in zones 3 through 8 and each year, the mother bulb is replaced by several new baby corms. This is a gentle process, so don’t worry that they’ll take over your lawn. The fall flowers are sterile, too, so they don’t produce viable seeds, meaning your crocus drift will stay where you planted it. Blooms still produce nectar and pollen though, making them a valuable source of food for late-flying bees and a great addition to your list of garden pollinator-friendly plants.

When the plants are done flowering, the green grass-like leaves remain through winter, feeding bulbs for next year’s blooms. Once the foliage starts to wither in spring, it’s fine to mow this area of your lawn again. In warmer zones where grass is still growing in fall and early spring, simply plant saffron crocus towards the edge of your lawn so you can easily mow around the drifts as part of your lawn care.

More Weekend Wins

This feature is part of the Weekend Win series, packed with quick and easy 10-minute gardening tasks that bring a big reward.