Habitat: sun or partial shade
Soil: with grit and humus
Height: 60 cm
Flowering: late summer to early autumn
Width: 40 cm
With tall spikes of flared flowers in bright colours, these plants are reminiscent of gladioli, but with much more refine, smaller flowers. They soon make good clumps, each corm replaced yearly by several new ones, so that they give good splashes of colour, against the background of tufts of slender leaves. It is good to lift and split clumps after about four year, to encourage flowering.
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Emily McKenzie' has vivid flowers, on the brown side of orange, perhaps best described as burnt orange, with strong markings of an even deeper colour, which we could describe as being on the brown side of orange! An excellent cultivar.|
| Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Buttercup' is an excellent variety, refined in both appearance and behaviour, with flowers of a rich yellow, as in the buttercups after which it is named. | |
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| Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Carmin Brillant' is a very fine variety with bright red flowers. | |
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| Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Columbus' has flowers that are bright golden yellow, with the unopened buds providing a contrasting orange colour. It is a little smaller than some of the biggest varieties, but is reliable, giving colourful clumps quite quickly. | |
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| Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Star of the East' was introduced a century ago, but is still one of the best varieties. Its long spikes have large (about 10 cm across) flowers, brilliant orange with a creamy centre and a streak of maroon on each petal, opening in succession over a long period. | |
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| Crocosmia 'Lucifer' has bright red flowers, paler on the outside than inside, contrasting with the dark bronze-green stems. | |
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| Crocosmia 'Mistral' has up to 30 of its bright orangey red flowers arrayed along each arching stem, the open flowers facing upwards, showing their bright colour to all who pass by. |