Crocuses: Saffron, Croydon and the Romans
Learn some facts about crocuses
This week your task is to look out for crocuses, cheering up lawns, roadsides and flower beds everywhere* and reminding us that spring is well and truly on the way.
While I was preparing for the Wild South London ‘signs of spring’ walk a couple of weekends ago I found a fact that, as a south east Londoner, made me very happy. Apparently Croydon is named for the Anglo Saxon words 'Croh denu,' which means 'crocus valley'. According to some, the Romans cultivated crocuses in Croydon. You see, crocuses produce the most expensive spice in the world: saffron.
In 2015, local radio DJ, Ally McKinlay, started a project called Croydon Saffron Central. He crowdfunded to create a community crocus garden - farming saffron and sharing it with people all over the town to spread the history of Croydon.
In the first year, volunteers tended to a successful harvest of 11,000 Crocus sativus blooms, carefully extracting 58 grams of saffron. Crocus sativus is the species of crocus that produces saffron flower in autumn, so at other times of year the site evolved into a ‘Bee Haven’ featuring beehives, installed by the Croydon Beekeepers Association, and pollinator-friendly plants. Two more succesful saffron harvests took place in the following years.
In 2017, following news that Croydon Pride would take place in the Queens Gardens next door, the garden was transformed into a gigantic Pride flag, created from flowers donated by locals in the colours of the rainbow flag. In 2018 the project came to a close, and about 14,000 crocus plants from the garden were shared out between local community gardens, groups and schools. Crocuses from the project bloom throughout Croydon to this day. Thanks to Ally, and his team of local volunteers, Crocus Valley lives on.
Important Note: Crocus sativus is the only species of saffron that produces saffron and they bloom in autumn. Please don’t try to eat any part of the crocuses you find out and about this spring (or any you cannot confidently identify in autumn, ie ones you have cultivated yourself for this reason). You have been warned!
Sources & Further Reading on Croydon Saffron Central:
Croydon Saffron Central Facebook page
*OK maybe you can’t see crocuses EVERYWHERE right now… apologies to the readers who are currently nowhere near a crocus, the sentence just sounded better with the word ‘everywhere’ in it…
Crocus Facts
Crocus sativus is ‘the saffron crocus’, which produces purple flowers in autumn. The bright red stigma at the centre of the flower produces the delicate strands of saffron you use to cook with. Saffron is so expensive because you need around 150 flowers to produce just one gram of the spice and you have to harvest each strand by hand. The plants need digging up and replanting into fresh soil every 4-5 years.
Crocus bulbs are called corms. Over time, some crocuses will bulk up and multiply as they naturalise. If you have established clumps, you can dig them up once they've finished flowering and plant some of the corms in another part of your garden.
Crocuses are among the first flowers to bloom in the UK each spring, meaning now is a great time to look for them! Like snowdrops, crocus leaves and petals are covered by a waxy cuticle which means they are protected from snow and frost.
There are thought to be over 90 different crocus species around the world and the flowers can be purple, yellow, lavender, cream and white.
The word ‘crocus’ apparently comes from the Greek word króki, which means weft (the thread used for weaving on a loom). The plant’s Greek origins extend to mythology too. There are several stories about the origin of the flower, one being that Mercury (Hermes in Roman) and his friend Krókos were throwing a discus one day, when Krókos got accidentally struck on the head. One version I read said that as Krókos lay dying, three drops of his blood spilled from his head and onto the centre of a flower, creating the three stigmata of his namesake plant. Another said that, as it was Hermes who killed Krókos, he was so distraught that he turned Krókos into a flower! Sure.
In the Victorian language of flowers, crocus means cheerfulness.
Do feel free to share some pics in the chat of the crocuses where you are!
Crocus Facts Sources & Further Reading:
I’m honoured to be a part of this new event for Beckenham Place Park! I’ll be interviewing Ben Jacob about his book The Orchid Outlaw and leading a walk around the park with some other Wild South London trustees. Come along if you can! Tickets can be booked here.
(Sorry to the people who said on my feedback form all the events I share are in London! Feel free to share any other nature events near where you live in the chat!)
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Yesterday I spotted a lone egg-yolk coloured crocus peeping out of our grass. Made me happy.
This story is amazing. Thanks for sharing, Zabby.
That event sounds wonderful!
Dumfries turns into a purple-yellow crocus cornucopia at this time of year - the council must have gone bulb-mad a few years ago and the blooms increase year on year. Stunning, in a slightly mind-bending way!