Spotlight on Crocosmia

Add Beauty and Attract Garden Friends with the Montbretia

Jul 24, 2008 Jacqueline Cross

The Montbretia or Crocosmia, (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora), is more than a beautiful bloom. It attracts tiny friends to your garden that help to remove garden foes.

Montbretia, a South African native, was named for Antoine Francois Ernest Conquebert de Montbret (1781-1801). Monsieur Conquebert de Montbret was a French botanist in the 18th century. According to the 2002 edition of William T. Stearn's book, Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners, montbretia belong to the iris family, (Iridaceae).

The name crocosmia comes from the Greek words, krokos[1] for saffron and osme[1] for smell. It is so named because the dried leaves smell like saffron. Flowers may also give off a saffron scent when floated in a bowl of water. Today, montbretia is better known as crocosmia.

Why Grow Crocosmia?

The crocosmia is different from many flowering plants in the garden, in that, it has few pests and is not burdened with many of the same plant diseases. This alone makes it an attractive plant for the home gardener.

Hummingbirds love the funnel shaped flowers that cloak the sweeping, arched stems. The blooms also lure hoverflies, which are a natural predator of aphids.

When planted in clusters, the blooms appear like droplets of vibrantly colored stars undulating as the breeze passes through the stems.

This is an easy plant for the new gardener. If you are just getting started, read "How to Create a Garden Landscape", for simple tips to help you along.

Growth Habits

It is important to note that crocosmia can be invasive in some areas. If left unchecked, it will quickly blanket the entire area where it was first planted, creating a brightly colored quilt in your landscape. The Invasive and Exotic Species website has more information about how vigorously this plant can grow.

Crocosmia grows from corms planted 2"-3" deep and should be divided every two to three years. They are easily propagated this way. They make a great pass-along plant to share with friends and family.

Bloom time varies from midsummer right up till first frost. The plant is evergreen in subtropical and tropical zones. The sword like leaves form in clumps and send up stems that are covered with blooms in colors including red, coral, apricot, orange, and bright yellow. These blooms are a show stopper along perennial borders. There is also a bicolor hybrid crocosmia.

Needs of Crocosmia

The plant prefers sun to partial shade and average water and does well in damp organic soil as long as it is well drained. Do not plant in water logged soil. Depending on the cultivar, it will grow anywhere from two to six ft. tall. Spacing the bulbs about twelve inches apart will produce a nice showing when they bloom.

A good covering of Bone Meal in March or April will be well appreciated by your crocosmia plants

If you live in an area where you dig other bulbs for winter storage, you will also need to dig crocosmia, lay them out to air dry and store them as you would other bulbs.

A few cultivars are listed below. There are over four hundred cultivars.

Types of Crocosmia

'Aunt-Eliza' (Crocosmia paniculata)
'Babylon' (Crocosmia x crosmiiflora)
'Canary Bird' (Crocosmia x crosmiiflora)
'Emily McKenzie' (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora)
'Falling Stars' (Crocosmia aurea)
'Lady Oxford' (Crocosmia x crosmiiflora)
'Marcotijn' (Crocosmia masoniorum)
'Meteore' (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora)
'Red King' (Crocosmia pottsii)
'Red Star' (Crocosmia pottsii)

Learn More

Crocosmia and Chasmanthe, By Peter Goldblatt, John Manning and Gary Dunlop ISBN 0881926515

Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners, by William T. Stearn 2002 edition. ISBN:088192556X

Holden Clough Nursery has a good listing of Crocosmias on their website.

[1] A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins, by A. W. Smith - 1997

ISBN 0486297152

The copyright of the article Spotlight on Crocosmia in Plants & Bulbs is owned by Jacqueline Cross. Permission to republish Spotlight on Crocosmia in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.