Crocosmia?

Hi. Thanks for all the replies. It was very easy to tidy up. Each stalk was a separate plant and pulled out of the ground very easily. Hopefully some time soon we will be having the old fence replaced. That will be the ideal opertunity to take it up and plant it again where it was before.

G.

 

I take it you're not into "modern" colour schemes, then, Caroline L! Btw, I've just remembered another long bladed plant that might work well with crocosmia, with a different flowering season- gaura lindheimerii. Different sort of flowers, but same general habit.

 

For me, Lucifer can't be beaten - it knocks your socks off!

 

Ha ha, "hellishly" hot though

 

I have just looked at Lucifer for a different location. I don't have room for large swathe's of it. Would it work if I just used the odd one spread out interspersed along the border? Just to add a splash of colour every now and then. The rest of the bed might be whites and yellows. There maybe some reds and oranges thrown in too.

G.

 

No Gary......it really is a vigorous plant. "Spread out interspersed" will enable it to take over and swamp just about every other plant there. You would end up with a mass of it and nothing else
I used to sell Lucifer.....others too...and I would divide it, pot it and it would provide vigorous plants the following year. Can be a thug
If you intend to buy one I would plant it intact or, if in a 3 litre or 5 litre pot, I would cut the rootball in half and plant it in 2 places.

 

I had a chat with a lady in Dobbies today who told me to plant crocosmia as spring bulbs. If I planted 2 or 3 clusters would that work or should I just stay clear of it altogether?

G.

 

Plant as spring bulbs and flowering will take ages Gary.
Some people do separate the chain of corms but I don't .
If you like lucifer, and most everybody does, then go for it. The foliage is great and gives you green sword like leaves which are quite architectural then you have the flowers. After flowering cut out the flowered stems and you will have the nice foliage again.
For me its just that lucifer should be in decent size clumps and not scattered like tulips etc.

 

Completely agree with all of that, Verdun.

I really like all crocosmia types and grow a lot of it in my garden, in big clumps.

Main thing is to check that tall ones, like lucifer, go at the back!

You will be supplying all your gardening friends and local plant sales for the foreseeable future, Jack Sparrow!

 

I guess that's a no then. Ultimately I was hoping for a meadow appearance with the odd tall shoot blowing in the wind. I have already started this discussion in a different area (can't remember where just now). I will get on with clearing the space and then I can start again properly from there.

G.

 

Hi, Jack Sparrow, a bloke along the road from me has done something like what you're suggesting, with a few specimens along his house wall in between other stuff. The plants do look lovely, but for me, they look better in clumps, and they won't take very long to clump up anyway, so the prospect of individual tall specimens wouldn't last awfully long, unfortunately.... :(. Having said that, it's not my garden, but yours!

 

But its not a sensible or practical thing to do in my opinion.

 

Hi Jack, if you want a plant that is similar to Crocosmia to add the stand out foliage and good flowers why don't you try Gladiolus. You can get all sorts, not just the big blousy ones used as cut flowers.

 

I have looked at a penstemon too. Not sure if they are tall enough though. (Also not in "hot colours").



@KFF Gladiolus papilio ruby. This sort of thing? Looks good. Not winter hardy though.

G.

 

Penstemon garnet . Even Alan Titchmarsh recommends it.

G.