Crocosmia crocosmiiflora Emberglow - Montbretia

Crocosmia 'Emberglow' is a colourful variety that blooms abundantly from mid to late summer with a burnt orange to red flowering, with redder buds. Fairly hardy and easy to grow in moist soil and sunny conditions, this Montbretia will be a welcome addition near a patio. It is also a beautiful flower for bouquets.

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora is an herbaceous perennial plant with corms, originating from South Africa. It belongs to the Iridaceae family, and shows many similarities with gladiolus.

The 'Emberglow' variety forms a flexible stem in spring, reaching a height of 60cm (24in). It bears a horizontally branched spike, with nearly 50 incandescent red buds, blooming into tubular flowers that are red-orange with small leaf markings, about 30mm (1in) in diameter. They consist of 3 inner petals and 3 outer petals. The sword-shaped leaves are pleated and spread out in a dense fan or cluster from the base of the plant. Their storage organ is a corm, which is an underground pseudo-bulb that looks like a bulb but is a swollen stem surrounded by scales. 

Montbretia are symbols of summer. They are easy to grow, vigorous, and not demanding. For a dazzling effect, plant the corms in groups of 10 in fertile and moist soil, in sunny locations. Their vibrant colours of yellow, orange, or red create cheerful spots of colour in gardens. They look splendid when paired with annuals or bushes, and are ideal for natural gardens mixed with perennials or grasses. They will multiply over time and become more beautiful each year. They are also excellent plants for bouquets.