Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

Love the red and greens together, Sharon.

Pretty blooms, pretty banner, Sharon!

Thanks, I thought I'd lost it to that long cold winter, but today I checked and it's looking good again!

Great choice! I wish more Crocosmia varieties were as hardy as "Lucifer" in my zone. It's a great red, ties in well with my favorite red daylilies of various hues. Foliage works well to "match" gladioli and blends well with iris foliage after the bloom. I should have a picture of all three combined but it's probably on my old XP machine. I'll look though.

For those uninitiated, you must look into the varieties grown in our Pacific Northwest and Great Britain. Great accent or specimen plant and excellent cut flowers (perfect with glads and/or Oriental lilies, my acclimated croc's time perfectly with some of each). Wonderful bloomer, draws hummingbirds very well for such small flowers. (some have large blooms but even the small flowers put on a great show by numbers) I just planted 10 here at Mom's place this afternoon. Small box store corms worked at my house the first year. Similar to inexpensive tulips or cheapo glads, weak but a pretty bloom. An early reward for the effort but like so many other things we grow. "Mine" are 6 or 7 years old, they're magnificent. If you grow flowers for cutting or just haven't tried them you'll probably find that you enjoy them.

Good crowd pleaser!

The one in the picture was an accident. It was early spring about 5 or 6 years ago and I was buying annuals for a large pot. It would be seen from every angle so I was looking for something with good foliage that would add height to the center. I know a lot of nurseries use a type of dracena for that kind of centerpiece with annuals but the nursery where I was said they were out of 'spikes' -- their name for the commonly used dracena. But he told me that he had something else that might work in the same way that the dracena worked for tall spiky foliage. So I agreed and took two of those he chose, two because I have a very large pot to fill.

It grew in the center of the pot all that summer and though it didn't increase in size very much, it remained green and spiky, just what I wanted. The pot is huge and as the annuals died back that fall, I'd clean them out of the pot. Seemed as if that spike didn't die or turn brown or anything for the longest time and I simply forgot it that fall, moving the pot back behind the chair that remained in the garden.

Spring came and I went out to get the pot ready for new annuals. I could not believe it, that spike had started growing again. I had no idea what it was, only that it survived our winter, so I decided I would plant it in my garden and see what happened. It wasn't until it bloomed that I learned what it was. It's been here ever since, growing and blooming without missing a beat. It really is a great plant and fits right in with a lot of things.

Love it Sharon!

Sharon said:The one in the picture was an accident. It was early spring about 5 or 6 years ago and I was buying annuals for a large pot. It would be seen from every angle so I was looking for something with good foliage that would add height to the center. I know a lot of nurseries use a type of dracena for that kind of centerpiece with annuals but the nursery where I was said they were out of 'spikes' -- their name for the commonly used dracena. But he told me that he had something else that might work in the same way that the dracena worked for tall spiky foliage. So I agreed and took two of those he chose, two because I have a very large pot to fill.

It grew in the center of the pot all that summer and though it didn't increase in size very much, it remained green and spiky, just what I wanted. The pot is huge and as the annuals died back that fall, I'd clean them out of the pot. Seemed as if that spike didn't die or turn brown or anything for the longest time and I simply forgot it that fall, moving the pot back behind the chair that remained in the garden.

Spring came and I went out to get the pot ready for new annuals. I could not believe it, that spike had started growing again. I had no idea what it was, only that it survived our winter, so I decided I would plant it in my garden and see what happened. It wasn't until it bloomed that I learned what it was. It's been here ever since, growing and blooming without missing a beat. It really is a great plant and fits right in with a lot of things.

Accidents aren't always bad! I've tried "Emily McKenzie" and another orange that didn't overwinter here in Ohio for me but I'll keep trying. If you search the varieties it's not daylily crazy but someday it might be. Of course there's always digging or overwintering in the garage or basement to consider. It's certainly a worthy effort. I've had the space but not the time. I leave most in the garden but they are worthy of the vase, long-lived like a glad blooming upward.

Happy little flowers.

Excuse my Bob Ross moment, LOL

I think his were 'happy little trees'.

Love that!

Nice! I like all the different green textures behind the red.

Gorgeous banner, Sharon! I can see Humming birds "swarming" all over this one!

I love this banner Sharon ~ I love Crocosmia. Our last winter gave mine a run, they are struggling. I have been saving seed from them for years so I may have to start over with the seed.

Isn't it just the neatest plant! It's as if they can't decide which direction to point toward. Almost like scalloping.

Love it! They are not winter hardy here, so I start new ones each year. Home Depot usually sells a gorgeous 12" planter of them in mid-late July. Can't have too many in a garden

You can lift the corms in fall and over winter them like glads, callas, or dahlias

Jennifer, yes have done storing them indoors for the winter....sometimes too busy in the fall though and I end up buying new ones the next year

Beautiful banner Sharon. I have to add this to my wanted list.