I’ve had a large clump of ordinary Crocosmia which I inherited when moving here. The clump has gradually been shaded by other plantings and recently has not produced many flowers. I actually quite like the leaves but midway through the summer it looks a mess. The worst thing, though, is the way this ‘ordinary’ Crocosmia spreads, I have had to continually restrict its ambitions to take over the world. The trouble is that messing with this plant ends up with spreading its small bulbs everywhere particularly if you get any of it in the compost heap.
So, at the weekend I decided to get rid of it once and for all. I couldn’t believe the amount of bulbs it had underneath it! I sifted all the soil to try and remove every last bulb, it took me all afternoon and I bet I didn’t get every bit. I now have two large sacks of bulbs for the public tip, I certainly won’t put any on the compost heap.
I also have Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ but this is a very well-behaved plant and does not spread so much, it is a valued member of my garden’s plant life. The flowers are a deeper red than the basic orange-red and much larger.
The photo above is of Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ flowers and below a photo of its buds (which I rather like). Taken last July.
Rob, I certainly know what you mean about this plants 'spreading qualities' when i first moved into my house, the garden was kind of bare and a kindly neighbour gave me some of these plants and for a couple of years things seemed to be fine.......and then it started, a mass invasion, little green sprouty things everywhere and it nearly got to the point of world domination!!! I am wondering if you can curb the spreading qualities of this plant like you can do with mint.......sink the bulbs in a pot and contain it to one spot!! I may have to try this and see if it works!! I have got rid of all the Crocosmia in my garden, but I do miss the burst of colour it gave so may have to try again but keep it a little more contained.
ReplyDeleteYeah - they are blighters! But Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is better behaved, so if you try again get Lucifer.
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote that post I had every intention to take the bulbs to the tip . . . . . But I didn't! I left them in a large plastic trug-type thing and I left them there until last week. The problem was that the trug thing had no drainage holes so I was left after autumn and winter with the trug thing full of stinking Crocosmia rotted water and it was full to the brim! I had been trying to ignore the trug-like thing but with the warmer weather, its smell announced its precence to the entire town. So, last week I spiked the bottom of the trug with a garden fork allowimg a foul smelling liquid to seep out like puss from an infected wound (Yuk! I'm going too far now!). After a couple of days of seepage, I donned gloves and a clothes peg over my nose and dumped the remains in the deep shade of a tree. The buggers will probably grow back and I've probably caught a deadly disease like trench foot or dandruff!