Crocosmia invasiveness

That's funny @CarolineL - Lucifer always does well up here!
Just shows how the conditions people have can make a big difference.

 

I have a small patch of "lucifer", its the only Crocosmia I have and I would like it to spread, but in about 30 yrs its still the same size, its in some pretty clayey soil that gets baked hard in summer.
Its even died off early some hot years due to red spider mite.

 

I planted C. "Emily McKenzie" once and it didn't do much. I think there are still a few. I'm wondering if they were mis-labelled though, because they are orange with a darker marking in the petals, not red. Definitely not invasive on my dry sandy soil. Neither is C. Lucifer. C. "George Davison" is spreading a bit (after several years) but not what I'd call invasive. Even the common montbretia isn't particularly thuggy, and it's easy enough to dig out lumps of it if it starts heading for places that I don't want it.

 

Emily is a deep orange with darker red markings, @JennyJB, one of the shorter ones as well

 

That description matches what I've got. Definitely not "red" to my eye.

 

Ive been travelling in Ireland for the last week and have been shocked how invasive these guys have become in the wild. I see them absolutely everywhere and they spread via both methods thuggishly. I also see maybe 4 varieties that have started naturalising: A tall red one, a red and yellow one, a medium orange and a short orange. The medium orange is the most aggressive second to the Tall red.

Example of a patch, its about 20m long and I suspect comprised of multiple seeded individuals. I found some a solid 100 meters from any other so perhaps theyre getting tracked along on shoes? or carried by the wind?

Gotta say its rather frightening how common these are here, though ireland seems more fragile than england is: Fuschias have also become invasive here and I rarely see them in england. Their rhododendrum issue is even worse than ours too.

I think ill rip the ones i planted out to be safe. Sad cause i cant find anything really to replace it.

 

@Adam I May be look at Watsonia, I grow both in my garden in the same bed.

 

It's really only the ponticum rhodo that's the problem, although many cultivars have been raised using it. It's a dreadful problem here - many of our glens are riddled with it, damaging other native planting, and there are several organisations that spend a lot of time trying to eradicate it, with the help of volunteers. Our climate suits it too well, which is a big part of the problem.

Crocosmias spread by their corms rather than seed, but it's the common one - Montbretia that's usually the problem, rather than the cultivated ones. If those escape from a garden though, they'll certainly spread if they have the right conditions.

There's quite a few late flowering plants which might suit you, depending on your soil etc. You could always use annuals too, if you can't decide on more permanent planting

 

If crocosmia is running riot in Ireland I can only think is due to higher rainfall, likewise fuschia which I believe has naturalised in parts of Western UK.

I see crocosmia in gardens around here but never seen it locally growing wild.
My clump in my garden hasn't increased in size in over 20yr.

 

I presumed it was the woody, perennial fuchsia that's a problem - but I can't see how that would happen easily. Perhaps the annual ones manage winters there though. Ireland's climate is like here, but often milder as a lot of it is much further south.

 

It's probably that very small flowered species fuschia whose name escapes me at the moment.
It can be used as hedging even around here it survives most winters, but quickly grows back if the wood gets frosted.

 

@pete Fuchsia magellanica?

 

Fuchsias aren't terribly popular here, from what I can see, apart from the annual types - hanging baskets/pots etc.
I often pass a nice hardy one - did so yesterday, and it's really well covered in flowers just now. It has plenty of room to do it's thing too. Don't think I've ever seen the one you mention, but maybe it doesn't manage here?
I love strong, bright colours but those gaudy fuchsias are a bridge too far!

 

Down here in Cornwall at the moment the orange crocosmia is flowering along the sides of roads, growing in the banks. It is so invasive! I have a clump in my garden which I allow to come into flower then pull it up before it sets seeds. That way I have managed to restrain it to a clump but boy does it need watching.
I also have Lucifer. This year it has been magnificent so I assume the wet weather suited it, I planted my first corms along the top of a low wall where it was quite happy for a few years then suddenly stopped flowering and decreasing so I moved it to a border where it is much happier. Hot and dry is not to its liking. This year a few self sowns came up in a small bed near the front door where I had a container with bright red geraniums. Colourful does not describe the combination. Stunning.

 

I have an orange crocosmia that has spread considerably. Am going to pull some up this yr. It's one plant I would not buy again if I were starting a new garden.