PlantFiles: Crocosmia
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora

I have been growing the orange variety of this plant for five years in central Mississippi (Zone 7a). I have divided it twice. It does well in full sun in a raised bed with good drainage. I have some orange lilies blooming at the same time and the two are overpowering in color in my perennial bed. Can someone recommend companion plants that might go well and soften the color of the bed?

This will naturalize in Seattle, and hold its own even if planted in fairly weedy areas, but its not really that invasive here.
I inherited a few large clumps. The ones in part shade were flopping and leaning and so I removed them. It took about 4 years of going back to the site and removing bulblets before they were gone. The ones in full sun are large striking clumps of very tall vertical spiky foliage from May to October, with bright red flowers much visited by hummingbirds in July and August.
They start to flop in mid fall, then I cut them to the ground.

I have 'Lucifer' and it is a Beautiful plant and it also winters well in my area in western NY (zone 6). Not invasive here either. The hummers use it the whole time it is in bloom

I planted one (lucifer) in my zone 5b Ontario garden about eight years ago. It has spread nicely but I wouldn't consider it invasive. Dug up some to both give away and plant in another area of my garden this year for the first time. Had been advised to dig it up in the fall but it seems to winter well and thrive.

In spite of the "do not over water", mine are growing in standing water. They do flop down easily, but the flowers are worth having.

I planted my bulbs three years before they bloomed - I realized when I purchased them that my area may be too cold, but after a very mild Winter they bloomed in 2006 - and what a show they put on! Absolutely gorgeous red blooms - and the hummingbirds swarmed them like bees! I was picking off spent blooms to press and a hummingbird tried to feed on the ones in my hand! If you plan to grow in an area cooler than zone 6, you'll need to lift and store them each fall.

Montbretia Crocosmiaeflora is known to all today and its reputation no longer has to be made. It is sold in thousands more or less everywhere, and it will be grown for many years because it is a plant which allies the advantage of magnificent flowering to that of being extremely easy to cultivate and of accommodating itself to the most basic care. All these qualities which have made M. Crocosmiaeflora fashionable are possessed by the following new introductions, in fact they possess still more, an elegant habit, a variety of Hues, the size of their flowers, characteristics which allow them to keep their place with dignity alongside the varieties from which they are descended. Tritonia Aurea X Montbretia Pottsii,1879; Victor Lemoine Catalogue, No. 104., 1886.

The flowers are really nice and will last a long time in a vase. The foliage tends to flop down and you had really better give this plant a place to live where you do not care if it spreads. It is almost impossible to remove once it gets started. Corms form along long stringy rhizomes and easily break off. Next year, when you thought they were gone, here they come again!

Very pretty, very tropical looking. I haven't noticed a long blooming period even though mine are in part sun.

The foliage look exactly like yellow iris's so be careful when planting together.

wonderful plant.... though it is not supposed to be hardy here, I have seen it thrive for many years, not invasive, doesn't even spread really. to DEJAVU: don't be afraid of this one, will do fine in your area, you will have no problems with invasiveness.

I love monbretia, but the gophers also love it and I keep losing all of them each year- It does do well in pots though!!

Lovely flowers, however, it appears that the planting depth is very important. My mother had planted some, which have multiplied greatly, but the foliage drooped over. She had it planted around 2 -2 1/2 inches deep. I read that it should be planted 5-6 inches deep. The ones she has have the orange-red colored flowers.

Anyway, I will be replanting it a little deeper to see if it helps to make it stand up right. I live in Northeast Louisiana.

I babied these along, thinking they were marginally hardy to my zone 4-5 garden. I give them away every fall now when I must divide them to keep them in check. Their scarlet flowers are like a fire in the perennial bed and the hummingbirds love them. Long flowering and nice cut flowers, although they fade fast in a vase. (any tips on that?)

I have grown this plant now for about 3 years, I really enjoy it because of the bright red color. The spearlike foliage adds a wonderful contrast to the more traditional leaf shapes. It is tall here, 4 feet but self supporting; no need to be staked.It is one of my favorite garden specimens.

We saw some outstanding examples of Montbretia in a garden in the Leelanau Peninsula of northwest lower Michigan. The foliage was at least 48" high, and the flowers were just beginning to open in mid-July. It was growing on a west-facing slope, and was quite spectacular. We're interested in knowing where we might be able to purchase corms.

Time to subdivide this entry into cultivars there are dozens of named crocosmias. Most of the pictures are of 'Lucifer' and some may be masonorium or crocosmiflora. The latter two are the ones with the weedy reputation. The colour range for this species is from Yellow ('Solfaterre', 'Citronella', 'Norwich Canary') to dark red ('Carmin Brilliant') or even golden/brown red ('Dusky Maiden'). Some of the varieties have pleated leaves whilst a few are a bronze green. Search on 'The African Garden Plymouth' for a full cultivar list.

This is my favorite plant. The dramatic red blossoms of "Lucifer" attract lots of hummingbirds to our yard. The plant loves the dry, hot summers in the Seattle area and spreads rapidly. The yellow variety spreads even faster.
DottieJean

Goes like wildfire in humid South. Will become so thick it needs thinning out/dividing every couple of years. Blooms over long period of time & hummers love it! Grows well in shade but blooms much better in sunny sites. It is a pass-a-long plant in the South & one that I like very much.

I am about to plant this, but found a site that describes it as a noxious weed.... makes me nervous!

In fall when foliage begins to brown, cut down to ground. In spring (or a few months later in southern CA) they will expand their radius with new shoots in old area and approximately one foot around old area-- with new shoots. Divide in fall.

In Los Angeles these (orange variety) bloom for MONTHS, starting in spring and well into fall.

I love this plant...

In heavy clay soil they increase but not invasively. The older the bulb, the more flower stalks grow.

In warm and damp climates, it can be invasive. It has vertical iris-like foilage with many arching stems bearing scarlet red flowers, which are funnel-shaped. It blooms for a long period of time in the late summer and fall. They make excellent cut flowers.