Crocosmia, finding its way back into gardens

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Warm, shimmering flowers in yellow, orange and red arch above luscious green leaves on clumps 24 to 48 inches tall: crocosmia, long known as montbretia, has a gladiolus look that carries a sunny border through summer. Plant the bulbs shallow in well drained soil that bakes in summer, and the bunches thicken season after season.

As easy to grow as it is beautiful, it has a touch of gladiolus-look-alike that is very interesting.

Planting crocosmia

The best case is for crocosmia to be planted in fall or in spring for it to bloom in the following summer.

• Plant the crocosmia bulbs 4 inches (10 cm) deep in the sun in a spot where it gets hot in summer.
• Crocosmia likes well drained soil and shouldn’t be buried too deep.
• Keep sufficient spacing of about 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) between neighboring plants.
• Let the rhizomes stick out here and there for the sun to shine on them directly.
• It is nicer to plant crocosmia in groups of several specimens.

Every 3 years, divide the bunches and separate the bulbs for the base to regenerate.

• It is best to divide them in summer.
• Pull the entire crown out of the ground with a spade.
• Cleanly slice the bunch in two with a very sharp knife.
• Replant the new crocosmia bunch in an appropriate location.
• Water abundantly.

Sowing crocosmia

If sowing, best to sow in pots in early autumn to mid-autumn.

• You can leave them outdoors, under some type of shelter, all winter long.
• Blooming will only occur 2 to 3 years after the sowing.
• You’ll proceed to transplant them directly in the ground as soon as the first leaves have sprouted.

• Seedlings from named hybrids such as Lucifer or Emily McKenzie rarely match the parent, so divide the clump instead when you want the same flower.
• To collect seed, leave a few spent crocosmia flowers on the stem and gather the round capsules once they turn brown and split.
• Sowing depth varies by species, so check each plant’s needs: very fine or light-dependent seeds are typically sown on a free-draining mix and barely covered, while larger seeds are usually buried deeper.
• Keep the sheltered pots just moist through winter, since seed that has already absorbed water can lose viability if allowed to dry out completely, though tolerance varies widely between species.

Pruning and caring for crocosmia

Crocosmia is a very easy perennial to care for and generally doesn’t require any care when it is properly settled in.

• Weed often around it so as to keep weeds from lording it over the rhizomes.
• Remove wilted flowers as they die off, but keep the leaves until the very end of their yellowing, usually until early autumn.
  Crocosmia leaves must be kept connected to the roots for the plant to build up its stocks for the following blooming.
• Remove weeds that grow amidst the plant leaves to free the rhizomes.
• No need to water because the plant doesn’t need it.

The crocosmia year, task by task

Crocosmia asks for very little, but each job has its own moment in the year. Here is what to do, when, and what it buys you.

Watering barely features: once settled in, crocosmia does without it.

Crocosmia in winter

Both in pots or in the ground, crocosmia holds to freezing on the condition that the freezing be neither too cold, nor too long.

In case of long, harsh winters, you must absolutely protect your crocosmia bulbs.

• A good layer of mulch is enough if temperatures never drop below 23°F (-5°C).
• If it gets any colder, though, you’ll have to pull them out and bring them in for cover.

• Potted crocosmia suffers more than clumps in the ground because the whole root ball can freeze solid.
• Stand pots against a sheltered wall and raise them on feet so winter rain drains away freely.

Which crocosmia to choose?

Crocosmias differ far more in colour, size and flowering time than their shared gladiolus look suggests. The varieties below are the ones most often found in garden centres and mainstream catalogues, with what sets each apart.

Learn more about crocosmia

Native to South Africa, crocosmia displays beautiful colored bunches that tend to grow thicker and thicker as seasons repeat.

Particularly easy to care for, it even resists mild winter frosts, as long as they aren’t too cold, 23°F (-5°C), nor don’t last too long.
Certain varieties are even hardy down to 5°F (-15°C) if the soil isn’t waterlogged in winter.

Leaves are a beautiful luscious green while its flowers grant us with warm, shimmering colors ranging from yellow to red and orange. It used to be called Montbretia.

Smart tip about crocosmia

The lifespan of a crocosmia can reach anywhere from 5 to 20 years.

To ensure it lasts a generation, offer it bulb-plant organic fertilizer every year after the blooming.