The colours of Crocosmia

Having Crocosmia in the garden adds a real splash of colour. Originally, Crocosmia varieties were limited to orange but you can now choose from a whole range of colours from orange-yellow to scarlet. Their fiery palette of colours makes a flamboyant statement in the garden. This is even intensified by their tall, elegant inflorescences made up of many individual flowers crowded onto each raceme.

The Crocosmia loves sunlight

The Crocosmia (also known as Montbretia) is classified as a summer-flowering bulb. Its bulbs (technically corms) are planted in the spring. Be sure to choose a sunny spot for this since the Crocosmia is a real sun-worshipper. And that’s all there is to it. The first flower buds will appear in the summer. As soon as they open, you can delight in fireworks of colour.

The Crocosmia effect

Would you like to celebrate the summer with a real spectacle of colour in your garden? Then accompany your Crocosmia with other summer bulbs that will bloom from mid to late summer such as dahlias and gladioli. The Crocosmia can also be used as a colour accent. Consider, for example, planting fire engine red Crocosmia in a predominantly bluish purple border. The resulting effect is spectacular: a real burst of energy!

Crocosmia combinations

Variation enlivens your garden and keeps drawing your attention to it. You can achieve this not only by varying flower colours but also their shapes. The long racemes of Crocosmia make a nice contrast against flat-headed summer flowers such as Yarrow (Achillea) and Helen’s flower (Helenium).

Interesting facts about the Crocosmia

• Plant some extra Crocosmia in a sunny spot in your garden to use as cut flowers. Their flowers have a long vase life.
• After flowering, the racemes produce attractive berries announcing the coming of autumn. Enjoy them, too!
• Most Crocosmia varieties will easily survive the winter as long as the garden provides good drainage. You can then look forward to another burst of colour next year.