Crocosmia

[BrandyandGinger]

My father used to have crocosmia growing in his garden. He called it a different name though, I think flame might have been part of it. Does anybody know any other name for it?
I always admired it in his garden and I have some growing from bulbs now. It's driving me mad that I can't remember his name for it.

Montbretia is the other name for crocosmia.

He called it something else though. I think it might have been an old fashioned name for it.

Agree. The very tall red variety has lucifer in the name

I think I've heard it called Prince of Wales feathers?

My granny called it Montbretia. I love it, it reminds me of her house and the sea.

Be careful, if it likes your garden it will try to take over. Having thought it was wonderful, I am now trying to get rid

I know it isn't native but I can't help admiring the drifts of it growing wild by the roadside on the west coast of Ireland. <asks hopefully> Would it grow in the cold, rainy, clay soil of the most landlocked bit of Northern Ireland, does anyone know?

Thanks, @indignatio I will be careful. I'm trying to convert more lawn to flowerbeds and shrubberies so I'm hoping that I can get the crocosmia to spread a bit but under my control. I've had luck with splitting hostas and sedum and starting hydrangeas from cuttings. Plants are so expensive.

I'm in Ireland and have clay soil. I'll let you know how mine get on.

"Be careful, if it likes your garden it will try to take over."

Come to think of it, I think that's what my mum said when I asked if we could get some. She was rather suspicious of several of my suggestions : I Iearned that the descriptor "thuggish" meant a hard no. I admired a beautiful, bountiful wisteria on holiday once and wanted to recreate the magic at home. That idea was shot down in horrified flames.

We have clay soil and a but of a crocosmia infestation. It's pretty (though I would prefer the red one, Lucifer) but there's just too much of it and those corms get everywhere.

I have a cotoneaster that is attempting to take over the world. It came from my father's garden about 20 years ago and I've moved two of it's descendents to different parts of the garden. Sometimes I think I should get rid of them because I know they're invasive but bees love it.

www.gardeningetc.com/advice/crocosmia-varieties

Lots of different varieties/colours. I have seen other names than those listed too so you may find other sites with what you're looking for.

Mine didn't survive the last winter sadly.

I hate it, and I’m a person who likes weeds. It’s an invasive pest and it gets dug up whenever I find it.

I had no idea they were considered invasive. That explains why one variety which came to me in a 3" pot is now, after 5 years, 2m wide and one which I find randomly sprouting in odd parts of the garden!

"I'm trying to convert more lawn to flowerbeds and shrubberies so I'm hoping that I can get the crocosmia to spread a bit but under my control. I've had luck with splitting hostas and sedum and starting hydrangeas from cuttings. Plants are so expensive."

I have a couple of varieties of heuchera that survived neglect, getting smothered in couch grass, nettles and other weeds, and several nights in a row of -10c this winter past in the clay (mind you they had a protective blanket of dead grass and weeds) . They spread reasonably quickly and split really well (such a doddle, the baby plants show you where they want split) but don't have deep or difficult roots, so they're easy to move if you change your mind about them. They wouldn't get as tall as crocosmia though so mightn't fill a gap further back that you want filled .

That's interesting about the heucheras. I planted 5 of them 2 years ago. 2 are in a sheltered spot and they have come on really well. 3 are on an exposed bank and they are looking pretty straggly. Maybe I'll be able to split the 2 good ones next year.