Thursday, July 9, 2020

Crocosmia

I think my favourite flower of the summer is Crocosmia.  Brilliant red usually, though there's also an orange variety, they are members of the Iris family and native to South Africa.  They grow from corms, which are like bulbs, so they're easy to plant and care for.  If they're winter-hardy here, they'll be fine wherever you are!

We got our first bloom a few days ago, right beside the front door.
 
They really are striking, and provide a dramatic highlight for the garden, particularly if there are no Day Lilies competing for attention nearby.

 Very quickly the other stems of buds were opening up.  Did you notice the other two stems of buds in the background?

The individual flowers open from the base of each inflorescence of 20 or more blooms.

When the buds are just beginning to form, the inflorescence looks entirely green and very small.  There are actually three here.

They soon spread out, swell and turn partly red.

So next time you feel the need for some summer highlights in your garden, or the next time you want to try something new and different, try some Crocosmia.  They're very easy to grow and brilliant when in bloom.

The stifling hot weather is continuing here, forcing me to change my routine and go for rides in the morning.  It's all so different 'cause those patches of shade are on the other side of the street!  For farmers it's becoming a serious drought.  Hope you're getting more reasonable weather where you are, and I hope that climate change doesn't just mean weather will get more extreme in all directions! 

Did you see that hail storm in Calgary in mid-June that turned into the 4th deadliest disaster in Canadian history?  Makes you wonder what's coming next.








17 comments:

  1. Yes crocosmia is a wonderful plant and comes in a great selection of reds and oranges. I think there’s a very handsome dark yellow too. Careful though as some of them can turn into a weed. Especially the one I was taught to call montbretia.
    Have you got a big sunshade for your chair? Sounds like you might need one. It’s impossibly hot here at 1500m in Switzerland. I hung out a wash this morning and most of it was dry in 15 minutes. Lots to do as we are going home to London next week.
    We went up the Jungfraujoch on Tuesday. 0 degrees up the top, back down to the hotel at about 24 degrees, and then in the valley 33! Honestly I think I’d rather stick with the cold. At least you can shove on another jumper.

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  2. What a beautiful plant. Don't think I've every seen one before.

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  3. You've taken some lovely photos there. My mother's garden was full of them and the only care I ever gave them was to bury any odd corms that worked their way to the surface.

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  4. These are beautiful! I don't think I've seen this flower before.

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  5. The flower is gorgeous.

    It’s been cold here. Wish we could share with you.

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  6. Must say I have never seen, nor have I heard, of those Crocosmia flowers before. I'm not even exactly sure how to pronounce that word. Definitely a beautiful flower though.

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  7. The crocosmia is just beginning to bloom around here. It's a real eye catcher for sure. We are having cool and rainy weather. Wish I could share it with you!

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  8. Very pretty. I've never seen one before!! Love the bright red color.

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  9. I so meant to try to get one for this year and totally forgot! I first saw them a year or so ago and fell in love with them. Though I love orange, this is one of those things that I want in red!

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  10. These are beautiful and a flower I didn't recognize. Always love seeing something different!

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  11. Beautiful flowers! Our are a yellowish orange. We have the same kind of weather down here: hot, humid but dry. I'm afraid we've seen the future weather-wise.

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  12. We have a nice clump of Montbrecia which I understand is just another name for Crocosmia. Hummingbirds love it! Ours is the most common one, Lucifer,I think. I did buy a yellow/gold coloured one a few years ago but it didn't survive the winter.

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  13. Hello, they are beautiful blooms. Lovely plant. Enjoy your day, have a happy weekend!

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  14. Now those are special! Such a brilliant colour.

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  15. Do you think the camera picked.up the red accurately? It's such a deep colorful red, the kind cameras have trouble with sometimes. The flowers are an amazing colour, maybe even better live?

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