Crocosmia

Thriving best in a humus-enriched soil, that does not dry out. Their bulbous roots will increase and flower freely unless overcrowded. Thus worth dividing in spring, replanting in fresh soil, in full sun or part shade. Flowering season is August - September, with a colour range of orange, yellow and red. Most hybrids are bred from two South African species, C. aurea and C. pottsii.

Crocosmias are such a familiar late summer sight along the waysides and hedgebanks of western Britain in particular, it is hard to imagine they are not native. However this colonization started around 1910 and really took off from the 1960s, it is believed, mostly from garden waste being thrown 'over the garden wall'. This is a salutary lesson in managing non-native, invasive plants we grow in our gardens. Fortunately the flowers are very attractive to bees and hoverflies and the clumps of leaves, if not cut back too hard in the autumn, are important overwintering sites for beneficial insects such as ladybirds.