Crocosmia

James Waddick jwaddick@kc.rr.com
Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:20:54 PDT
Dear Friends,
	I got a private mail on this topic and it reinforced the good 
advice I got from Jane McG and Ellen H.

	Worth repeating and I've modified it a bit for my Zone 5 
garden with extremes of hot and cold.

	Crocosmia have been hardy in this climate, but only with some 
advance special care. If dormant bare root corms are planted directly 
in the ground, they are almost guaranteed to fail. I will not do this 
again.  Plants growing in soil in full growth will do much better 
especially if planted early and given some protection their first 
winter.  Plants in 4 to 6 inch/gallon pots are ideal in size. If 
blooming size the chances get even higher.

	If dormant bulbs are the only option, plant them in a good 
potting mix in large pots, water carefully and let them grow for at 
least a year including a second growing /sprouting season. This 
insures that the bulbs really will sprout. Then plant in the final 
place.

	My experts cited above suggest Crocosmia need established 
root systems and last year's corm are helpful too. Apparently each 
year the new corm forms on the old corm and forms a stack of "used" 
corms, but gives the plants a reserve of energy and storage giving 
that edge to survive.

	This is repeated from the message I got from Ken H in Oregon:


Crocosmia:  I've been wanting to comment that dry corms,
such as are purchased in a store or received through the mail,
are typically slow to start growing.  I purchased a dozen corms
this spring of 'Red King', planted them, and now have a couple
tiny fans of leaves--one leaf of about three inches, the other
three leaves towering to about four.  Next year there will be
more, and by the third year they will be almost normal.  Not
until year four or five will they be good.  Patience is a virtue,
or at least, so I've heard.


	I'm a little surprised that Jane had trouble at her former 
garden, but it may also reflect this need for growing bulbs to get a 
good start.

>
>In my former garden at a higher elevation I couldn't grow many
>Crocosmia hybrids. Only 'Lucifer' was reliably winter-hardy (on my
>new home's road, there's one front garden with an absolute hedge of it).

	It shows how PBS member's collective experiences work 
together to help succeed with some really neat plants.

	The Lily Garden Crocosmia are at: 
	http://thelilygarden.com/pages_lilies/…

	Far Reaches Farm is at  
	http://www.farreachesfarm.com/crocosmia/	that JAne mentioned.

	All just more temptations or is it NEEDS?	Best	Jim W.
-- 
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph.    816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
	Summer 100F +


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