Fire up borders with crocosmia
These dazzling flowers will give extra oomph to any late summer border. Val Bourne explains what to look for and how to keep them going
Crocosmias are the perfect plants for summer drama, with their branching heads of flowers in sun-drenched yellows, oranges and reds. Their sword-shaped foliage has huge impact in the border too, looking lush and bold long after the flowers have finished, adding useful vertical accents among later-flowering asters and yellow daisies. There are many varieties to choose from, some 400-or-more named cultivars in all. Between them they flower over a long period,
so it’s well worth growing more than one. The earliest begin in July, but others perform in autumn. Heights vary too: some are statuesque enough to be used in a tall autumn border, while others are short and diminutive, so perfect for a container or edging paths and lawns. If you grow them in pots, use a loam-based John Innes compost because this is less likely to dry out.
A star is born
All crocosmias are bred from just nine species, and most come from areas of South Africa that enjoy high summer rainfall. As a result, crocosmias do exceptionally well in wet British summers. Most crocosmias are hardy, and it was the harsh winter of 1963 that produced a turning point in crocosmia breeding. The late Alan Bloom of Bressingham, Norfolk, believed his red-flowered forms were tender so was surprised to see them return after such a harsh winter. It spurred him on to breed some, and his best is undoubtedly ‘Lucifer’. This July-flowering crocosmia is grown all over the world for its very handsome, pleated green foliage and large tomato-red flowers. In the early years of the 20th century, long before Bloom released ‘Lucifer’ to great acclaim, three other Norfolk-based breeders were already raising fine crocosmias. Among them was George Davison, head gardener at Westwick Hall, who bred 11 cultivars, including ‘Star of the East’ in 1910. This usually flowers in late-September in my own garden, producing enormous barley-sugar orange flowers that open wide. He also raised ‘George Davison’, a July-flowering yellow that I also grow at Spring Cottage. Among the newer crocosmias are ‘Okavango’, one of the African River series with salmon-coloured flowers, and ‘Limpopo’, with apricot flowers that age to pink. ‘Severn Sunrise’ is a sunset-pink. All three glow in evening light. The very new ‘Hellfire’ produces all-red flowers in late July, but I have found it slow to make a good clump.