Montbretia (Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora) — care & requirements

In short

Cormous perennial with arching flower spikes; blooms from July to September in shades of orange, red and yellow.
Full sun or light partial shade; fertile, free-draining, moderately moist soil.
Unlike the gladiolus, the corms usually overwinter in the ground under a mulch (roughly from zone 6); in colder regions it is worth lifting them.
Spreads quickly through chains of corms, forming dense clumps — needs dividing every 3-4 years.
A prized cut flower and a source of nectar for butterflies and bees in the second half of summer.

Botanical data

Family: Iridaceae (Iridaceae)
Height: 0.5–0.9 m
Width: 0.3–0.5 m
Habit: Clump-forming
Growth rate: Fast
Position: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil: Humus-rich, Sandy
pH reaction: pH 6–7
Moisture: Moderate
Bloom: July–September
Hardiness: USDA 6a–9b
Propagation: From bulbs / tubers, By division

Characteristics

Montbretia grows from a small corm sheathed in fibrous scales, which each season produces a new corm at its top and, beneath it on short stolons, a whole chain of daughter corms — hence the rapid formation of dense clumps. The leaves are sword-shaped, stiff, light green, arranged fan-like in a single plane much as in the gladiolus and iris, but distinctly narrower and more delicate; they usually reach 40-60 cm. The inflorescence is a slender, branched raceme rising above the leaves on a thin, arching stem — the feature that most clearly distinguishes montbretia from the stiff, one-sided spike of the gladiolus. Along each branch, in two rows, small funnel- to star-shaped flowers 3-5 cm across open in succession from the base towards the tip, in shades of orange, red and yellow. The whole clump reaches 50-90 cm in height and 30-50 cm in width, spreading outwards over the years. The plant grows fast and is long-lived — once planted, a clump persists in the ground for many years. The best position is full sun or light partial shade, in fertile, humus-rich, free-draining and moderately moist soil with a slightly acidic to neutral reaction (pH 6.0-7.0).

Popular cultivars

‘Emily McKenzie’: A late cultivar with large, orange flowers with a dark, mahogany-red throat. Reaches about 60 cm; one of the most striking classic montbretias, flowering in late summer.
‘Star of the East’: A cultivar with exceptionally large, apricot-orange flowers with a paler centre. Grows to 60-70 cm; valued for the size of its flowers and its late, abundant flowering.
‘George Davison’: A historic cultivar with pure, golden-yellow flowers, about 60-70 cm tall. Reliable and free-flowering, good for the cutting garden.
‘Solfatare’: An old cultivar with apricot-yellow flowers and distinctive, bronze-flushed leaves. Shorter, about 50-60 cm; slightly more tender, worth covering in colder positions.
‘Carmin Brillant’: A cultivar with intensely carmine-red flowers on arching stems, about 60 cm tall. A strong splash of colour in the summer border.

Growing and care

Watering

During the growth and budding season water regularly, keeping the soil moderately moist. The plant tolerates short spells of drought better than the gladiolus, but does not tolerate standing water — the corms rot in waterlogged soil.

In summer every ~5 days · drought tolerance: Medium

Fertilizing

Avoid excess nitrogen, which encourages leaf growth at the expense of flowering.

in early spring and during the budding period · nawóz wieloskładnikowy z przewagą potasu, kompost przy sadzeniu

Planting

A position sheltered from strong wind; enrich heavy, compacted soils with compost and sand for better drainage.

Timing: April-May · spacing 8–10 cm

Pruning

Remove spent flower heads to prolong flowering; in autumn cut back the withered leaves close to the ground, and cover clumps left in the ground with a layer of bark or leaves.

Timing: As needed during the flowering season and in autumn, after the first frosts. · Caution: Do not cut leaves that are still green — they nourish the corms and determine flowering the following year.

Companion plants

Good companions

Garden dahliaPractical observation

Zbliżone wymagania (słońce, żyzna i przepuszczalna gleba) oraz wspólny termin kwitnienia w drugiej połowie lata — dobra para do ogrodu ciętego.

Orange coneflowerPractical observation

Ciepłe żółcie rudbekii i ogniste barwy krokosmii tworzą spójną, późnoletnią rabatę w stylu preriowym o podobnych wymaganiach.

Purple coneflowerPractical observation

Wspólne stanowisko słoneczne, zbliżony okres kwitnienia i uzupełniające się barwy; oba gatunki wabią zapylacze.

Bad companions

Low, slow-growing ground-cover perennialsPractical observation

Krokosmia szybko rozrasta się łańcuszkami bulwocebul i tworzy gęste kępy, zagłuszając słabsze, płytko korzeniące się sąsiadki.

The evidence level indicates whether the relationship is backed by research, observation, or gardening tradition.

Diseases and pests

Spider mites

Tiny (0.3–0.5 mm) arachnids, hard to spot with the naked eye, feeding on the underside of leaves. Symptoms: fine, pale speckling (feeding punctures); over time the leaves turn grey, yellow and dry out. Under heavy infestation a fine webbing becomes visible. Warm, dry air favours their development — a common problem for houseplants in winter near radiators. Spider mites are not insects but mites of the family Tetranychidae — adults have 8 legs (larvae only 6). The most common in cultivation is the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae): yellowish-green females carry two dark spots on the sides of the body, while overwintering females turn orange-red. In orchards the fruit tree red spider mite (Panonychus ulmi) is frequent, whose red eggs overwinter in clusters on the bark of the shoots. Feeding mechanism: the mites puncture the cells of the epidermis and mesophyll on the underside of the leaf and suck out their contents, and the emptied cells fill with air — hence the characteristic, silvery-grey, fine speckling visible from the upper side of the blade (resembling a mosaic discolouration). At high numbers the leaves turn brown, curl and drop prematurely, and the whole plant weakens and loses its growth. Dense webbing spun between the leaves and shoot tips appears only under an advanced attack and is a sign of the risk of the pest spreading to neighbouring plants. The development cycle is very fast in warmth and drought — at a temperature of 25–30°C a single generation can be completed in 1–2 weeks, hence the numerous generations per season and the rapid, exponential build-up of the population. Females lay spherical, transparent eggs on the underside of the leaves. Fertilised females overwinter (in bark crevices, leaf litter and plant debris) or — in the fruit tree red spider mite — the eggs on the bark. Early infestation is easy to miss; diagnosis is helped by shaking a leaf over a white sheet of paper (moving specks become visible) or examining the underside of the leaf with a magnifying glass.

History and origin

Montbretia is a hybrid raised in 1880 by the French nurseryman Victor Lemoine in Nancy, from a cross between two South African species — Crocosmia aurea and Crocosmia pottsii. For a long time it was widely known as montbretia (Montbretia), a name commemorating the French botanist Antoine François Ernest Coquebert de Montbret. The genus name Crocosmia comes from the Greek words krokos (saffron) and osme (scent): dried flowers steeped in warm water give off an aroma resembling saffron. The plant quickly spread through gardens of the temperate and warmer zones, and in countries with a mild, moist climate — the British Isles, Ireland, New Zealand and the Pacific coast of North America — it has become naturalised and is locally regarded as an invasive species, colonising roadsides and hedgerows. In Central Europe the limit of its expansion is set by the colder winter.

Uses

Montbretia is planted in perennial borders, in naturalistic and prairie-style gardens and as a cut flower — the arching spikes last well in the vase and keep opening fresh buds. Its fiery colours in the second half of summer combine well with rudbeckias, coneflowers, ornamental grasses and dahlias of similar flowering time; the warm oranges and reds create a striking contrast with cool blue and violet. The corms are planted in spring (April-May) at a depth of 8-10 cm, in groups of a dozen or so, 8-10 cm apart, in a position sheltered from strong wind. Unlike the gladiolus, montbretia is markedly hardier: in milder regions (roughly from zone 6) the clumps overwinter in the ground under a mulch of bark or leaves, and lifting for winter is only needed in a colder climate and on heavy, wet soils, where the corms may freeze or rot. Spreading clumps are divided every 3-4 years in spring, which rejuvenates the plant and improves flowering. The flowers are readily visited by butterflies and bees.

Trivia

The genus name Crocosmia literally means "scent of saffron" — dried flowers steeped in warm water smell like saffron.
Although in Poland montbretia is an innocent border perennial, on the British Isles and in New Zealand the naturalised plant is sometimes controlled as a troublesome invasive species.
The most famous garden crocosmia, the carmine-red 'Lucifer', does not belong to this species — it is a separate hybrid (involving Crocosmia masoniorum) raised by Alan Bloom, considerably taller and hardier.

Frequently asked questions

Does montbretia overwinter in the ground in Poland?

In the milder regions of the country (roughly from zone 6) yes — the clumps are covered for winter with a layer of bark or leaves and left in the ground. In colder areas and on heavy, wet soils, where the corms easily freeze or rot, it is safer to lift them in autumn and store them in a cool, dry place, much like gladiolus corms.

How does montbretia differ from the gladiolus?

Both species belong to the iris family and grow from corms with sword-shaped leaves, but montbretia is smaller, has thinner, arching and branched flower spikes instead of the stiff, one-sided spike of the gladiolus, and its corms are far more persistent and hardier in the ground.

Why does montbretia flower poorly?

The most common causes are an overcrowded, old clump, too shady a position or poor soil. Clumps are divided every 3-4 years in spring, planted in full sun or light partial shade and fed with a potassium-rich fertiliser; freshly planted corms often only flower fully in the second season.

Is montbretia poisonous?

Montbretia is not classed among poisonous plants and is considered safe for people and pets. Even so, as with any ornamental plant, it should not be eaten.

Sources

Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora — Plants of the World OnlineDatabase (GBIF, POWO…)
Crocosmia — poradnik uprawyInstitution / botanical garden

Edited by:Redakcja Atlas-Flora. Updated: 7/25/2026.

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Montbretia

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