Floral Firecrackers
Crocosmia and why they are so fabulous
Posted by: Kate Bryant on Sep 09, 2011 at 07:58AM
7 Comments
Two renowned plantspeople – Kelly Dodson and Sue Milliken, owners of Far Reaches Farm – recently made a stop in Portland to sing the praises of the bright, easy-to-grow perennial plant called Crocosmia.
Now, hold your horses – before you start grousing about how invasive crocosmia are (and yes, some of the group of hybrids known as Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora can be aggressive in coastal areas of California and Oregon), just know that not all Crocosmia are so aggressive. In fact, most are just perfectly delightful little garden plants that spread politely by corm.
Crocosmia is a genus in the iris family hailing from tropical and eastern South Africa. Plants grow from corms and have erect, sword-shaped leaves and spikes of open or tubular to funnel-shaped flowers ranging from clear to burnt orange and red to apricot, yellow, and bicolors.
Plants can range from 2-4 feet high, depending on species or cultivar, and flowers can range from petite to nearly two inches in diameter. Flowering usually begins in July and, when plants are deadheaded regularly (the best way to do this is to simply pick bouquets all summer), then rebloom sometimes occurs.
In recent years, hybrids have been developed with interesting chocolately foliage which compliments the warm yellow and orange flowers and makes for some nice color contrasts in the garden.
There are hundreds of species and hybrids in existence: Kelly and Sue have collected over a hundred, and currently have 23 available on their website. (That’s about 20 more than most local retailers offer at any one time.) See Far Reaches’ selection of gorgeous crocosmias here.
There’s much to love about these cheerful, long-blooming plants. But without a doubt, the best thing about them is the opportunity they provide to watch hummingbirds up close: hummers swarm around the flowers, from the moment they appear until the last petal drops.
I have Crocosmia potsii Culzean Pink from Far Reaches Farm – it’s the loveliest pinky-red and oh, so happy to grow here.
Jane, that’s a beautiful and unusual color – a wonderful plant!
But what about that hat????
Yeah, the hat… you’ll have to ask Kelly about that!
Hahahahah…he wore the hat at the HPSO sale as well! I never was a fan of the red Crocosmia (‘Lucifer’) that you see everywhere…a bit too “in-your-face” for me…but I found a charming orange/yellow bicolor at Joy Creek a few years ago, and since then have been more drawn to the smaller, subtler ones. The varieties with the dark foliage are seriously tempting!
Hello…..I had a question in regards to the orange variety. Nothing bloomed this year. Well, maybe 4 or 5 flowers…. they are only 2 year old plants. Was it our crazy Summer or do I need to use a special fertilizer to get some flowers???
Thanks!
Scott, there are just so many good ones around now! I love the red of Lucifer but also find it hard to place in my own garden. It’s a big, gawky thing!
Debra, I didn’t notice the dreadful summer affecting crocosmia flowering in the Portland area and they aren’t particularly heavy feeders, although adding bone meal and/or a balanced organic granular fertilizer won’t hurt. Possible reasons for diminished flowering include too much shade; inadequate water for young plants; overcrowding of clumps (prolly not an issue with your young clump); too much mulch or soil piled atop the corms (ie, too deeply planted); or, even, too shallowly planted (corms could be sitting right at the surface and need to be replanted more deeply). Crocosmia corms tend to rise to the surface as they increase. They are best planted about 3-5 inches below ground level. If in doubt, dig up the clump some time before frost and examine the corms to see if they’re rotting. Make sure the plants are sited where they receive 5-6 hours of direct sun, adequate summer water… then replant at correct depth and scratch in some fertilizer just for insurance. Final note: some hybrids are a bit less floriferous so google the cultivar name and see if it’s one of the ultra-pretty hybrids that has a sparser flowering habit. Good luck!