"Lucifer" growing with abandon in a Newport garden
I have always wanted to add some Crocosmia to my garden. It’s a good news bad news kind of situation. The bad news is that most cultivars won’t grow here in southern New England. The good news is that my favorite, x crocosmiiflora “Lucifer” is hardy to Zone 5! So I took advantage of the summer bulb flowering bulb sale at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs and bought 10 corms for $3.50.
Crocosmias are from South Africa, hence their cold sensitivity. But the intense color of “Lucifer” has captivated me, and even if I have to dig out the corms in the fall, I just had to have it. I planted mine yesterday, in full sun, about 4 inches deep and 6-8 inches apart. They don’t like to be bone dry, so I will water them if there’s a drought.
Another reason I planted them was to attract hummingbirds. That red should definitely do the trick!
These pest-resistant monocots, with attractive, upright stems, grow 24-36 inches tall and bloom in mid to late summer. I’ll just have to be patient.
"Lucifer" again, with a friend
Digging RI 
Those are really pretty. Gorgeous color!
You mentioned you might have to dig them up in the autumn. How you do you store the bulbs and corms that you dig up? I tried storing my calladium bulbs over winter and they didn’t come back when I replanted them this spring.
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CJ, I don’t think you’d ever have to worry about lifting them in your zone – not “Lucifer” anyway. I am not sure about the others. Storing bulbs over the winter is always hard. I like to make sure they get proper ventilation, but they also have to be protected from mice. Then there’s always the mold problem. I will probably just cross my fingers and hope they make it. We are closer to the water here, so that moderates winter temperatures.
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Wow! How eyecatching is that?!
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That’s why I bought some. I hope mine grow that big and healthy!
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