In nature, this beautiful plant grows in southern Africa. In Europe, Crocosmia has been cultivated since the 19th century. Today this flower is widely popular among gardeners as a perennial bulbous plant. Crocosmia is also called Montbretia or Japanese gladiolus. The plant looks great in open flower beds. Designers recommend planting Japanese gladiolus with daylily, rudbeckia, and salvia.
Crocosmia has dense greenery, over which erect or drooping flowers bloom. The name of this plant translates as “saffron scent”, which is exactly the smell emitted by dried Montbretia flowers. This plant will be a worthy decoration of any garden, and cut inflorescences can delight with their beauty for fourteen days.
Description of the plant
Montbrecia is a herbaceous perennial. The height of the plant can be from 60 cm to 150 cm. The rhizomes of the plant are many corms that grow in large clusters. Each tuber is covered with several shells. Crocosmia leaves are narrow, sword-shaped and light to deep green in color. The peduncles are thin, branched and reach up to 1 meter in length.
Crocosmia blooms from June to September. The flowers are star-shaped, about 5 cm in diameter, collected in a long panicle. The buds bloom alternately, starting from the base. In the southern regions of our country, the seeds of this plant have time to ripen.
Fact. One Montbrecia bulb produces four flower stalks.
Crocosmia in landscape design
In a flowerbed, the flower will look good both in single plantings and in combination with other tall flowering perennials:
Thanks to the abundance of varieties and hybrids, crocosmia can be used to create many compositions of different shades and with different flowering periods. For landscape design this is a universal flower. Monbretia bushes create bright cascades near artificial fountains, ponds, and on lawns. High varieties can be planted on dilapidated walls of gazebos and buildings.
More useful recommendations about growing Crocosmia from sowing seeds to flowering plants can be found after watching the video:
What an interesting plant! Only I remembered him under the name Montbrezia. Mom also calls it Japanese gladiolus. He grew up with us at the same time. I even remember my daughter went to school with him on September 1st. A very elegant plant from buds to flowers. And the color is so positive. I dried it for winter bouquets.
How to grow from seeds
If you sow seeds in open ground, there is a high probability that they will not germinate. Planting of crocosmia begins in late February or early March. The seeds of the plant are soaked for 48 hours in warm water, and the water is changed every 6 hours. Light, fertile soil is suitable for germinating motbrecia.
It is good if the soil mixture includes turf soil, sand, peat, and humus. The seeds are deepened and sprinkled with soil. The crops are watered and covered with film. Place the container with the planted seeds on a windowsill or other bright place. The film is removed once a day for 15-20 minutes; this helps evaporate excess moisture and is a good prevention of fungal infections.
After emergence of seedlings, watering is reduced. Now moisture is needed only after the top layer of soil has dried. When several true leaves appear on the plants, they are transplanted into separate containers.
Features of planting a flower
Ficus benjamina growing a luxurious tree
Although Montbrecia is considered a tropical plant, it is quite unpretentious and can be grown outdoors in colder regions. True, you need to try to choose a good place to plant it. The culture is considered light-loving, but its area should be free of sunshine in the summer heat. If crocosmia is placed in the shade, it will begin to wither and may die.
The soil for Japanese gladiolus should be loose and fertile with a non-acidic composition. The flower is sensitive to excess moisture, so it is advisable that there is no groundwater near its site. If the danger of flooding after winter still exists, then the hole must be drained before planting. To do this, you need to deepen it by 15-20 cm, and then fill it with soil made of peat and sand mixed in equal parts. You need to sprinkle the hole with humus on top and only then proceed to planting.
Propagation by corms
The easiest way to grow Japanese gladiolus is from a bulb, which can be planted in open soil or in a container until seedlings appear. To plant a plant directly in the ground, you need to prepare a bed for montbretia in the fall. Planting and caring for this flower in open ground begins with digging up an area for it, during which the soil needs to be thoroughly loosened. After this, the following fertilizers must be applied to each square meter of land:
- 2 buckets of cow manure;
- 20 grams of potassium chloride;
- 40 grams of superphosphate;
- 100 grams of slaked lime.
Planting crocosmia tubers should be started after the soil has warmed up well. This is usually done at the end of April. A month before planting, the bulbs need to be brought into the house so that they warm up at room temperature. Roots and leaves should be removed from planting material.
Before planting, the soil should be moderately moistened. The bulbs should be placed at a depth of 8-10 cm, leaving about 10-15 cm between plants. They should start blooming next year.
In addition, you can make seedlings from the bulbs, which will then decorate the garden bed. To do this, the tubers should be placed in large containers filled with sawdust or wet peat. It is worth leaving a small distance between them, and the planting depth should not exceed 5 cm.
The top of the container should be covered with film or glass, creating a greenhouse. Containers must be ventilated daily. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that the soil is constantly moist, and it is better not to water the soil, but to spray it.
After the sprouts appear, future flowers should be planted in separate pots filled with nutrient substrate. The seedlings should spend 2-3 weeks in these containers. Young crocosmia should be planted in open ground in mid-May or early June, when the threat of frost has already passed.
Growing from seeds
Montbrecia can also be grown from seeds, but this method is considered quite difficult. To get a plant from planting material collected with your own hands, you need to select only completely dried seeds. The optimal collection time is the end of September. In addition, this planting material has extremely low germination rate. Out of ten seeds, only two can germinate, however, the seedlings obtained from them may die in the future. Therefore, it is better to use purchased seeds, which germinate better.
Such planting material can be sown in the soil or for seedlings, doing this in February-March, or directly into open soil - at the end of April. It is better to plant them not immediately in the ground outside, but in a container filled with a nutritious mixture of equal parts of turf, sand, humus and peat. The seeds must first be soaked in warm water.
They should not be sown too deep in moderately moist soil. After the sprouts sprout, they should be planted in boxes. In good weather, you should harden off the seedlings by taking the container with them out into the open air. You can plant such plants in the ground outside in the spring, when warm weather has already set in.
Transplantation into open ground
Motbrecia is transplanted into open ground in early May. For this plant you need to choose an open, sunny place, located away from the passage of groundwater. The soil must be nutritious. If the soil is depleted, then in the fall two buckets of humus, 100 grams, are added per 1 m². slaked lime, 40 gr. superphosphate and 20 gr. potassium chloride.
Young plants are planted in shallow holes (3-4 cm) at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. Leave 30 cm between rows. Planted plants are protected from the scorching sun and wind. After a few days, the shelter is removed. Plants grown from seeds bloom in the third year. Under the most favorable conditions, flowers can be seen in the second season.
Reproduction
Crocosmia reproduces by seeds and bulbs. A whole colony grows from one bulb. It is recommended to separate colonies every 3-5 years. This is done in early spring before planting. If this is not done, the crocosmia begins to bloom poorly.
Plants reproduce most quickly from small bulbs. If Montbrecia grows in a region with warm winters, then propagation by self-sowing is possible. To prevent this from happening, wilted flowers are cut off.
You may be interested in: When to dig up gladioli in the fall in 2022: the most favorable days for digging up bulbs Dates for planting gladioli in the spring according to the 2022 calendar of gardeners Growing gladioli in pots outdoors
Important! Different varieties of crocosmia are planted at a considerable distance from each other, since they can cross-pollinate.
How to plant bulbs
A week before planting in open ground, the corms are brought into a warm room so that all biological processes are activated. Tubers are planted in early or mid-May. Bulbs are carefully examined; those that are broken or with obvious signs of disease are excluded.
To get rid of all kinds of infections, the tubers are placed in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. A large corm is divided into 3-4 parts. You can separate the children to eventually get young plants. The depth of planting corms is about 10 cm. The distance between them should be at least 15 cm. If the soil is insufficient, moistened, the plantings are watered.
Care
Crocosmia is an undemanding plant. Montbrecia is watered approximately once every two weeks, but the plant can withstand temporary drought. Weeds are weeded out. If crocosmia is planted on poor soils, then fertilizers are applied once every 10 days. This can be a comprehensive fertilizer for flowering plants.
Advice. To get earlier flowering, corms are placed in pots for germination a month before planting in the ground, and in the middle or end of May they are planted in a flower garden.
Necessary care for crocosmia in the garden
Caring for crocosmia in the garden does not present any problems; you just need to follow a few simple rules. These include watering and fertilizing regimes, loosening, weeding and others. You also need to know when to dig up bulbs that cannot overwinter in the soil.
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Crocosmia is fertilized in the garden every two weeks, alternating organic and mineral fertilizers. As an organic matter, you can use a solution of 1 part mullein and 10 parts water. In the spring, it is recommended to use nitrogen fertilizers to quickly increase green mass, and during flowering they should be replaced with compounds with a large amount of potassium.
Crocosmia needs regular feeding
Important! If you do not follow the feeding regime, the plant will grow slowly, the flowering period will decrease, and the flowers will be crushed.
Although the plant is drought-resistant, you should not overuse it. Watering should be regular, especially during hot periods. At the same time, overwatering should not be allowed, as the bulbs can quickly rot, resulting in the death of the flowers.
Periodically, you need to loosen the soil around young bushes and remove weeds so that they do not draw nutrients from the soil and shade the plantings. Crocosmia has quite strong stems, but for particularly tall specimens it is recommended to provide additional support. Since the plant is prone to cross-pollination, when growing different varieties, it is necessary to maintain a sufficient distance between specimens.
Pests and diseases
Possible diseases:
- Fusarium. With this disease, flower stalks become irregular in shape, leaves turn yellow and die, flowers change color and become deformed. Plants are sprayed with Benomil, and the bulbs are pickled in a Fludioxonil solution before planting.
- Gray rot. A fungal disease that covers the bulbs with a gray coating. This infection is easier to prevent than to cure.
- Jaundice. The plant dies from this virus. The tips of the leaves turn yellow first, and then the entire plant. The disease is spread by cicadas.
Among the pests that are partial to crocosmia are spider mites, thrips, and mole crickets. During prolonged drought, spider mites may appear; these small insects are almost invisible. However, they are dangerous because they drink plant sap and are carriers of infections.
Insectoacaricide preparations will help cope with spider mites. “Aktelik”, “Fitoverm”, “Karbofos” are used against thrips.
Advice. To get rid of mole crickets, you need to build a special trap. To do this, in early autumn, dig a hole up to 50 cm and put fresh horse manure in it, cover it with soil and mark this place. After two weeks, the insects will hibernate in the manure and can be easily destroyed.
Preparing for winter
Unlike many cultivated plants that arrived from Africa, crocosmia is quite resistant to cold and in areas with mild climates it overwinters without shelter. In central Russia, species forms will safely survive until spring under a “blanket” of fallen leaves or dry shavings, and to protect against dampness, a thick film can be thrown over the insulating material. If the winters in your region are harsh, you will still have to dig up the crocosmia, after cutting off the leaves and shoots at a height of 5–6 cm. The “nests” of corms removed from the ground are shaken off the ground, dried and placed in paper bags (boxes), sprinkled with dry peat. Store crocosmia planting material in a frost-free cellar at a temperature of +5...+7 °C. Note! Corms should be dug up no earlier than mid-October, otherwise the children will not have time to form.
How to Preserve Corms in Winter
In southern regions with mild winters, crocosmia is not dug up, but must be covered with a thick layer (20-30 cm) of straw, fallen leaves, sawdust or spruce branches. A film is placed on top. In other cases, corms are dug up in October, before the onset of frost.
Before storing, the stem is cut off, leaving about 6 cm. The bulbs with children are laid out on burlap and dried in a dry, warm room for two to three days. A dry cellar or underground with a constant positive temperature of 4 to 6 degrees is suitable for storing bulbs. Tubers for storage are placed in boxes, sprinkled with dry sawdust and peat.
After flowering
When flowers fade, they must be removed in a timely manner to preserve the decorative appearance of the plant.
Seeds
In most cases, collecting seeds from a bush does not make sense , since a hybrid plant was planted. If you want to grow crocosmia from seeds yourself, it is better to purchase them at the store.
Wintering
If the climate of the region has mild winters, then crocosmia can be left for the winter in the ground :
- cut off the green part completely;
- the soil is well loosened;
- mulch with a thick layer (leaves, grass clippings);
- covered with spruce branches.
Where winters are cold, it is recommended to dig up tubers in early to mid-October. The bulbs are dried before storing, placed in boxes and stored in a vegetable store or basement for the winter.
Varieties
- “Babylon” – plant height 60 cm, deep orange flowers drooping;
- “George Davison” - distinguished by yellow flowers, plant height 70 cm;
- “Tangerine Queen” is a tall powerful plant up to 1.2 m, bright orange flowers;
- “Spitfire” – height 60 cm, flowering begins in August and ends in September. Flowers are orange;
- “Lucifer” – height 1.5 meters, erect peduncles with red flowers. Frost-resistant variety with mandatory shelter;
- Crocosmia paniculata. A tall plant up to 1.5 meters, it blooms early, the flowers are small orange. The seed box has a decorative appearance;
- Crocosmia Potsa - pastel pink flowers, the variety tolerates excess moisture. Height up to one meter.
Types of crocosmia
In nature, Montbretia is represented by more than 55 varieties; only a small part is cultivated. Let's look at the most common of them.
Massonorum
It is highly resistant to cold and is optimal for growing in northern regions. A low-growing bush 0.6-0.8 cm high with sword-like leaves with a ribbed structure. The stem of the peduncle grows upward and, at the point where the inflorescence begins, turns horizontally, that is, parallel to the ground.
Golden
The species is the ancestor; it was brought from the South African tropics. Flowering time is September. Flowers, depending on the variety, can be colored in orange, yellow and red shades.
Potsa
It grows in the marshy soils of the African continent. In the garden, choose shaded areas with poorly drying soil. The leaves of the plant are thin and smooth, the flowers are small.
Paniculata
The bush, one and a half meters high at the base, is decorated with a bunch of corrugated leaves of a light green hue. Compact inflorescences of bright orange color appear in the second half of June. This species is the earliest of all members of the family.
Ordinary
One of the first garden hybrids created at the end of the 19th century. The height of the plant reaches a meter. The greenery of a light shade consists of erect plates, narrow and graceful. The inflorescence includes small funnel-shaped buds. The first brushes appear in mid-summer.
Reviews
Lyudmila, 39 years old : “Montbrecia has been growing on the site for several years, last year it divided the corms and bloomed well. During the summer I feed it twice with mineral fertilizer. The plant looks very beautiful and doesn’t require much care.”
Olga, 35 years old : “Crocosmia paniculata grows in our front garden, it begins to bloom early at the end of June, and pleases us with flowers until the frost. I store the tubers in the basement, where the temperature does not rise above + 8. Over the course of three years, the tubers have grown; this spring I plan to divide them into two parts. The flower is beautiful, passers-by always pay attention.”
Svetlana, 51 years old : “I purchased this amazing plant at a gardening fair. I knew practically nothing about it, but without special care the flowering was abundant, which greatly pleased our whole family. Our variety of crocosmia “Tangerine Queen”, a rather tall plant, has bright, orange flowers reminiscent of tangerines. We tried to cut it for a bouquet, but it stayed in the vase for more than a week.”
