Crocosmia has started to bloom.........

This is a photo of R W Wallace...................... what a wonderful suprise to find it opened at last today!!

Has anyone else got any nice Crocosmia photos to share.............

Mark

Lovely sunset gold colour Mark!

I don't have any good pics, sorry! Only have Lucifer struggling in a pot still (and it's seedlings!) besides an old variety. I have taken pics at some time but can't find any, must have thought they weren't good enough to keep.

Please post yours as they open!

Roundup at the ready! No seriously for the flowers they re well worth growing a few.

Ohhhhhh Mike that is bad. LOL
And yes they are a beautiful flower and well worth growing.....Have any yourself???

Lauri

Hi Janet

Nice to see you are still around................
Yes it really is a beautiful flower.
What is the old variety that you have????????????????????? Would love to see that.
Have about 7 open up to now, am posting this next pic of Walberton Red.

Hello Mike
Still you see don't like crocosmia then................LOL

Lauri
Somehow i don't think Mike will have many himself............

Mark, I'm busy taking pics and ID'ing bugs!

The old one was already here, it doesn't flower often and I don't think is in flower now, it was flooded when the water level went over the wall! I moved it from where it was, and yes it probably needs digging up and replanting by now.

It does look quite nice where I have it hanging over the water's edge at a height (normally), the evening sun shines through it. It has a fairly small yellowish flower with a bit of a flush, couldn't really put a name on it but it's probably the bog standard old one. I will attempt to get some pics if/when it flowers.

I found Lucifer!

I also found a pic of the old one, if you can spot it! It looks more orange but I think is base yellow with an orange flush.

Look beyond the cherry tree at the end and you will see!

Didn't think Roundup was around when latin was used! You live and learn.... people must have had crocosmia back then too... lol

mark ... you do know i'm kidding i hope.. i'm enjoying the pics really.... but .... shh don't tell anyone!

Mike

Janet.

You never know, the old one may be something different.................... so yes pleaseeeeeeeee take a photo if it flowers!!! I would love to see it close up and identify it.
Yes it probably needs splitting, hence the not flowering much!
Can't really tell from the long distance photo what it is...............
Lovely photo of Lucifer though. Very pretty!!


Mike
Yessssssssssssssssssss i knew you were kidding............. well i was hoping you were.

Resin

WHAT??????????????????????????????


Photo of Elegance................ GORGEOUS

Dulce et decorum est,
Crocosmia mori

"It is good and sweet for a Crocosmia to die"

< big cheesy grin smiley icon >

Resin i like that.. lol

I'm starting to get mine more organised over the last year or so. Every time i weed a bed i have been putting them to one side then digging a hole and throwing the lot in. .... I notice this year 2 of the first clumps are starting to flower...
They are healthier than they have ever been too... the ones that pop up all over the place where small and stunted little ofsets. Probably from some old planting scheme before i moved in and moved tons of soil around.

If i take a pic do you think you can guess what they are?

My parents have been trying to get rid of these pernicious invasive weeds for the last 30 years . . . without any success at all. However carefully they dig them all up, the things are back again soon.

http://www.hear.org/pier/species/crocosmia_x_crocosmiiflora.htm
http://www.hear.org/species/crocosmia_x_crocosmiiflora_2/
http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1392142
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/listarch/arch119.html

There you are . . . ;-)

Resin

Resin

Thats the orange and yellow one that is all over the place.............. all the others don't do that!!! Some hardly spread at all..........

Mark

I think thats the one i have! Horrid nasty thing... lol

Yeah, but planting the others isn't going to get rid of the nasty one . . .

Resin

This is true........ but I have heard rumour that Roundup will get rid of them............LOL

Lauri

Hi Mark, I have checked my crocosmia and there's quite a few flower buds, the first close to opening. They probably like this cold weather, and being drowned briefly!

I for one am learning to appreciate the humble crocosmia more, I have heard so many people slam it and to be honest for a start I was thinking of getting rid of these 'originals'. However, having moved them to a suitable spot where they really do look lovely hanging over the water, and absolutely stunning with the evening sun shining through them, I have come to the conclusion that they are a very garden worthy plant. Nothing else would look so good with the ferns and ivy that is in the same place, it completes the picture perfectly.

Gladiolus, hydrangeas, dahlias, crocosmia, they have all suffered from slanderous slanging, and why is this I do wonder? I think it's because our parents had them and we don't want to be like our parents, that is old!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh well, we get there, sooner than we think. Time to rejuvenate our thinking, and those who do not appreciate the efforts of a fellow DGer and wish to slang off the plants should perhaps try starting their own thread to do that and stop hijacking this one! I would like to see Mark's crocosmia, and don't really want to see the thread run on and on with this type of talk.

That said, swear at me all you like, I can take it!

Here is a pic of the flower buds, it doesn't look like C. x crocosmiiflora to me. It has a delicate flower and graceful, drooping habit. The base in bud is a deep yellow, turning to orange with a reddish tip and the flowers are fairly small. The bracts are a pinkish purple, the colour on my screen is fairly true but they do glow a little stronger in the sun. A gem!

Hey Mark, and lauriwilson, I just noticed, both at Caistor????????????????????

BTW Mark, I agree, "Elegance................ GORGEOUS"!!!!!!!

Hi Janet

Thank you for the speech about people hijacking peoples threads and slanging off plants............. I think what you said expressed my feelings exactly!!

I am pleased you have started to appreciate crocosmia more............... when people think of crocosmia, you get the same old story 'OH YOU MEAN THOSE HORRIBLE ORANGE AND YELLOW THINGS THAT SPREAD EVERYWHERE AND YOU CANNOT GET RID OF'.
That is exactly why I started my website, so people could go have a look and see for themselves that not all crocosmia look and spread like that one......... People originally planted them mainly for ground cover because they are kinda pretty and do a good job.
Its true what you said about parents etc............. but I think, hey if you like em, plant em.

I don't know from the buds what your plant is, as so many have similar coloured buds......... cannot wait for it to open so we can see it. I take it the leaves are smooth and not ribbed??????

Oh, you have just noticed about Lauri being in caistor too............ LOL
We got together through DG, and she moved here from California. She loves Crocosmia too.................. THANK GOD!!!

Elegance, is quite a rare one, in fact I don't know anyone else that has the plant. I am always pleased when it flowers every year!

How are your Glads doing?? You still collecting new ones??????????

Mark
This photo is African Beauty............... another quite rare one.

Hey, ain't DG a great place! It hadn't passed me by Mark that you were sweet talking Lauri! You may thank God Lauri likes Crocosmia, but the weather Gods may be out of favour!

CONGRATULATIONS to both of you!

Um, Mark, if no-one else has Elegance how did you get it???? African Beauty is a stunning colour!

The last lot of Gladiolus seeds I sowed, in April and May, are starting to germinate, a bit slow but they can sometimes need a series of cold and warmth, which they are certainly getting this summer! 3 pots I sowed a little earlier have a few germinated too. Another 12 autumn sowing ones to do which I really need to put in soon for this climate. I had a flower spike on G. dalenii, the pot is full of mature looking plants now, but I broke it off accidentally!

The Crocosmia leaves I think only have a midrib, which can just be seen in the pic. This pic shows it better. I'm not sure where they came from, but my neighbour has them too and she always begs and borrows plants, but they might have been here since time dot as this house has been here for well over 100 years.

Hi Janet

Hahahahahaha, you noticed i was sweet talking Lauri............... awwwwww
The weather is ok, i don't mind this wet warm stuff, its good for the plants.
Thank you for the congrats.............

How did I get Elegance.................. the same way i have The Prince and no-one else does..... The guy that grew them sent me a little piece and then lost all his original plant.
The Prince was found by David Fenwick, he sent me some and another guy, both of them lost their plants and i still have mine alive. Thats how i have it and no one else does.

The Glads sound promising.................. shame about the flower spike on the Dalenii. My Dalenii Apricot one is growing mad again this year, as are the papillio.

Your Crocosmia................ if it only has a single rib, then its either a Pottsii or a x crocosmiiflora hybrid. Does it have trumpet shaped flowers????? If it does it will be a Pottsii.
Hope it turns out to be something really cool......................

This plant is Beth Chatto

This message was edited Jul 18, 2007 12:08 AM

Mark, you had better look after those rare ones then! Beth Chatto I could easily fall for, nice contrast.

My croc has trumpet shaped flowers, at least they don't go flat as far as I know. A pottsii sounds good! Can't wait for the finale (with a little thingy over the top).

Oh I am looking after the rare ones................... !!
Yep, Beth Chatto is a beauty indeed............

Yours sounds more and more like a pottsii to me.............. which is why it thrives near water.
Originally they were found in S Africa on river banks.
I also can't wait for the finale (with a thingy over the top) LOL

Could be worse things than hijaking this lovely thread.... someone could have accussed Mark of using Photo shop! Gasp horror! lol

But hey lets keep the crocosmia talk going.... we can start another thread somewhere about plants our parents grew.. anyone up for that? Don't want to hijak this one.

Mike

I'm another one that used to think of Crocosmia as one of those plants that you ignored...that is until I saw some in pots in a grden centre, then i really looked at them.

I bought a Lucifer, and I can't remember the name of the others....of course lost the labels,(don't you always)

Last years photos, as only Lucifer is flowering yet

Another unidentified one

last one

Cool pics.... what naturally pollinates crocosmia? I figure its more than one thing as lucifer has the longer flower with the stamens above the stigma but the last pics have the stamens around the stigma as if its wind or self pollination.
Doubt thats the case though.
Mike

This is a crocosmia blooming in my brothers garden. I have no idea what is its name, but it a wild one he brought back from Ireland.
It has made a large clump in 7 years time.

In the wild they are usually seen growing in the close proximity of water and I saw some charming ones blooming in the wild in Brazil along riversides but unfortunately have no pictures of it.

another angle;

seen from the back;

This one flowered today..........................
Its called Dusky Maiden............

I'm really enjoying all these gorgeous beauties! They're really hard to grow here so I can't imagine them being weeds! When I first saw them I thought they were one of the prettiest flowers I ever saw :-)

Mark you have so many beautiful varieties!

Bonitin and sueone - love yours too! :-)

Janet - can't wait to see yours when it flowers - the buds are really pretty :-)

rannveig

Hi rannveig, mine opened a couple of days ago.

bonitin and sueone, they are all so pretty!

Dusky Maiden....nice one.

OK then Mark, do your stuff!

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Janet it's gorgeous!