Betty Montgomery: Crocosmia plants can add a colorful statement to your garden

If you want to add a classy, colorful statement to your garden, consider adding some crocosmias. The flowering plants come in an array of colors in the yellow-orange-red side of the color wheel. They have graceful arching sprays of blooms and when they are not in flower, the sword-shaped foliage makes a dramatic statement in the garden.

Crocosmias, sometimes referred to as montbretia, come from South Africa and the plants are derived from corms (similar to bulbs) that come back year after year. Unlike many bulbs that you plant in the fall, crocosmias are best planted in the spring. Most like a warmer climate but you can find ones that will grow in USDA zones 5 and 6 if you choose wisely.

There are hundreds of varieties of crocosmia. They differ in flowering time, color and structure. Crocosmia make excellent border plants, combining nicely with herbaceous perennials or even some shrubs. They are slow to start, not being as showy the first summer. However, they make up for it over time getting better with age.

There are a few varieties that are extremely vigorous and can sometimes be a little aggressive or invasive in some USDA zones. I have not found this to be true in our garden. If they do become too aggressive, you can pull up the unwanted ones.

Crocosmias are easy to grow. They like humus-rich soil in full to part sun. The varieties of crocosmia that grow tall should be planted about 6 inches deep. This gives the plant a little more support to hold the foliage more upright. The varieties that are shorter in height can be planted about 4 inches deep. I water then well when planting and I rarely do anything more except the normal fertilizer that all the border plants get. These are also pretty drought-tolerant demanding very little attention, especially after they get established.

I grow three different ones and my success comes by choosing the right varieties that will take a little more cold weather. Remember these come from South Africa where the weather is quite hot.

"Lucifer," a stunning tomato red color was the first one I planted. It is quite tall, reaching about 3 feet in height. It does nicely in the back of the bed, arching over some of the shorter perennials. The bright red color of the flowers draws hummingbirds to the garden as the striking flowers start to open.

After falling in love with "Lucifer," I decided to try two other ones, "George Davison" and "Emily McKenzie." "Emily McKenzie" is a streak of orange color that is a butterfly magnet. It adds a blast of orange flowers that have a broad reddish brown or mahogany colored band with a contrasting lighter orange center. It is on the shorter side, growing to about 18 inches.

"George Davison" was chosen because of the eloquent description that the Brent and Becky Bulb catalogue gave to this exquisite plant. It is smaller in statue than "Lucifer," growing to only about 15 inches tall. It has small yellow flowers that look like stars on an arching stem. They make a handsome statement in the front of the border blooming for me in August, well after the others have faded.

I have never grown "Solfaterre" or "Distant Planet" and I have read that both of these are cold hardy. One is a soft yellow and the other a lovely bright orange. "Distant Planet," the most cold hardy of all is said to grow from Pretoria to Peoria. It is a rarity in northern gardens to have a reliable crocosmia in Zone 5 (colder climate). But as long as it has full sun and perfect winter drainage, it will survive the winter weather.

Another great reason to think about crocosmia is because the deer have never chosen to dine on mine. I have known a vole to eat a few of them but it seems only when they are first planted. They tend to leave them alone after they are established and have formed a nice clump.

There are a lot of varieties available but do not forget that not all will perform for me in zone 7, where I live. Other varieties will have to be lifted in the fall after flowering since they are not cold hardy. I have no desire to add that to my list of chores.

Betty Montgomery, a master gardener and author of a "Four Season Southern Garden," can be reached at bmontgomery40@gmail.com.