I have a clump of crocosmias (similar to Lucifer but not so vigorous)
that is infested with grass. As the leaves have pretty much browned
back, can I dig up and clean the corms now, dry them out and store
them, with the intention of planting them elsewhere next spring?


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

: I have a clump of crocosmias (similar to Lucifer but not so vigorous)
: that is infested with grass. As the leaves have pretty much browned
: back, can I dig up and clean the corms now, dry them out and store
: them, with the intention of planting them elsewhere next spring?

Yes you can but better to clear the ground and put them right back in. I
think they will survive anything. I try and get rid of as many as possible
each year but still they come!

:: I have a clump of crocosmias (similar to Lucifer but not so vigorous)
:: that is infested with grass. As the leaves have pretty much browned
:: back, can I dig up and clean the corms now, dry them out and store
:: them, with the intention of planting them elsewhere next spring?
:
: Yes you can but better to clear the ground and put them right back
: in. I think they will survive anything. I try and get rid of as many
: as possible each year but still they come!

PS Just found this and only a few miles from me too
http://www.nccpg.freeserve.co.uk/

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 18:02:40 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

I have a clump of crocosmias (similar to Lucifer but not so vigorous)
that is infested with grass. As the leaves have pretty much browned
back, can I dig up and clean the corms now, dry them out and store
them, with the intention of planting them elsewhere next spring?

I don't think crocosmias particularly like serious drying-off.
Dig them up, clean them, but then either replant them immediately
(as suggested by another reply) or pot them in damp soil and
replant in the spring.

On the whole, immediate replanting is probably preferable. As a
general rule, plants in pots don't do as well as those in the
ground, for a whole host of reasons. With crocosmias, there is a
certain degree of frost-tenderness and potted plants are going to
suffer more than those in the ground if&when you get a hard
freeze.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
change "invalid" to "net" to respond

"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in
message ...
On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 18:02:40 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

I have a clump of crocosmias (similar to Lucifer but not so vigorous)
that is infested with grass. As the leaves have pretty much browned
back, can I dig up and clean the corms now, dry them out and store
them, with the intention of planting them elsewhere next spring?

I don't think crocosmias particularly like serious drying-off.
Dig them up, clean them, but then either replant them immediately
(as suggested by another reply) or pot them in damp soil and
replant in the spring.

On the whole, immediate replanting is probably preferable. As a
general rule, plants in pots don't do as well as those in the
ground, for a whole host of reasons. With crocosmias, there is a
certain degree of frost-tenderness and potted plants are going to
suffer more than those in the ground if&when you get a hard
freeze.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
change "invalid" to "net" to respond

I have just dug up a patch of corms that had spread to 6ft x 4ft, there was
only 15 planted 4 years ago!
I my experience they stood around in the greenhouse for 6 weeks before I
planted them and they still overpowered everything else. When you dig them
up make sure that you get everyone out, seams that they are worse than couch
grass.

Steve

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 18:02:40 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

Thanks for the replies. I distinguish crocosmias from montbretia, as
in 'quality plants with pleated leaves vs. spreading weed best suited
to hedgerows'. The previous owner rather liked montbretia and in the
last couple of years I've dug it out by the sack-load, literally
(several, in fact). Glyphosate also works on them. We hardly get any
frost here, so freezing not a problem, but I take on board the
comments about drying out. I'll heel them in somewhere else until I'm
ready to plant them permanently.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

The message
from Chris Hogg contains these words:

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 18:02:40 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

Thanks for the replies. I distinguish crocosmias from montbretia, as
in 'quality plants with pleated leaves vs. spreading weed best suited
to hedgerows'.

Quite. In my previous garden we had montbretia :-( and crocosmia Lucifer :-)

Since moving to Arran's milder climate I'm on a dreadful crocosmia
binge, starting with "Emily Mackenzie" (large bronzy orange flowers with
a brown blotch) and going on to the many yellow ones which are more
refined. I'd never realised before how varied and pretty they can be.

Janet.

in article , Janet Baraclough at
wrote on 18/10/03 8:00 pm:

The message
from Chris Hogg contains these words:

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 18:02:40 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

Thanks for the replies. I distinguish crocosmias from montbretia, as
in 'quality plants with pleated leaves vs. spreading weed best suited
to hedgerows'.

Quite. In my previous garden we had montbretia :-( and crocosmia Lucifer :-)

Since moving to Arran's milder climate I'm on a dreadful crocosmia
binge, starting with "Emily Mackenzie" (large bronzy orange flowers with
a brown blotch) and going on to the many yellow ones which are more
refined. I'd never realised before how varied and pretty they can be.

Janet.

Ray is developing one which we hope will be licensed and propagated. It
will be C. 'Tamana'. It's developed in our garden as a sport but what the
cross is we have no idea. The flowers are very large and what is nice, it
flowers later than Lucifer. Once we are allowed to sell it, I'll send you
some! I love Crocosmias because they always make me think of my grandfather
- his garden had masses of montbretia.
Do you also grow Salvia confertiflora? It's in flower now with us and has
been for some time. It can be tender in a bad frost but that and Salvia
involucrata have come up with us over and over again in recent winters.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove the 'x' to email me)

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

The message
from Chris Hogg contains these words:

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 18:02:40 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

Thanks for the replies. I distinguish crocosmias from montbretia, as
in 'quality plants with pleated leaves vs. spreading weed best suited
to hedgerows'.

Quite. In my previous garden we had montbretia :-( and crocosmia
Lucifer :-)

Since moving to Arran's milder climate I'm on a dreadful crocosmia
binge, starting with "Emily Mackenzie" (large bronzy orange flowers with
a brown blotch) and going on to the many yellow ones which are more
refined. I'd never realised before how varied and pretty they can be.

Janet.

I too have had a rather uncontrolled Crocosmia spree this summer. I like
the yellow ones too: they are rather delicate, neat and upright. I've
also indulged in 'Severn Sunrise' which has some unusual pinky shades at
certain points in the flower development Then I got 'Carmin Brilliant'
which is quite small but a kind of tomato sauce red, 'Spitfire' which I
bought at Inverewe and 'Emberglow' as well as 'Emily Mackenzie'. I
didn't much like 'Emily Mackenzie' at first as the flower seemed over
large but it has surprised me by going on and on flowering and being
really good value that way.
I'm hoping they survive the winter. I've had two different yellowish
ones for two or three years now and they seem quite hardy, but I shall
be watching the new ones anxiously.
I also have a very large Crocosmia, which I bought years ago as
'Lucifer' but which is bigger (up to nearly five feet) and less red. I
have at last identified it this year as the species, C. paniculata. I
like it very much even though it flowers rather briefly and later lolls
around rather. If anyone would like to try a few corms I'm sure I could
find some - or perhaps it's more common than I realise. Interestingly
I've seen it growing quite well north in Scotland but hardly at all
round here in Lincs.
I've often wondered about the effect of cutting foliage down before it
fully browns, but never risked it. Does anyone routinely cut the foliage
back when it begins to sprawl?

Janet G

In article ,
(Janet Galpin and Oliver Patterson) wrote:

I've seen it growing quite well north in Scotland but hardly at all
round here in Lincs.
I've often wondered about the effect of cutting foliage down before it
fully browns, but never risked it.

I understood the browning to be spider mite attack. AS spider mite
doesn't like damp. I wonder if Lincs is rather dry compared to Scotland?

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

The message
from (Steve Harris) contains these words:

In article ,
(Janet Galpin and Oliver Patterson) wrote:

I've seen it growing quite well north in Scotland but hardly at all
round here in Lincs.
I've often wondered about the effect of cutting foliage down before it
fully browns, but never risked it.

I understood the browning to be spider mite attack. AS spider mite
doesn't like damp. I wonder if Lincs is rather dry compared to Scotland?

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

Yes it definitely is drier than Scotland and this year especially, but I
have watered them and I think the browning is a fairly normal amount. My
worry is really that the foliage *isn't* very brown yet but is leaning
at about 40 degrees to the ground and although everything leans and
flops in my garden, for some reason the Crocosmia foliage is more
intrusive. It's really only the very big ones that keel over.

Janet G

The message
from Sacha contains these words:

Ray is developing one which we hope will be licensed and propagated. It
will be C. 'Tamana'. It's developed in our garden as a sport but what the
cross is we have no idea. The flowers are very large and what is nice, it
flowers later than Lucifer. Once we are allowed to sell it, I'll send you
some!

Yespleasethankyou:-)
Do you also grow Salvia confertiflora? It's in flower now with us and has
been for some time. It can be tender in a bad frost but that and Salvia
involucrata have come up with us over and over again in recent winters.

Yes, great foliage, huge spikes of red flowers and it goes on and on.
Do you have it in the ground, and if so do you mulch it? Mine is in a
big pot, so will need some good protection for winter. I meant to get
some cuttings going but never got round to it.I've not got involucrata
but have some other red one, raspberry something? planted in the ground;
I'm wondering whether to mulch it with fine gravel for winter or if even
that would be perilously damp round the crown.

Another new-to-me is salvia leucothoe, in the ground, which is getting
a bit battered by autumn wind, but the bits that blow off have rooty
ends so I can pot them up. Brodick castle gardens has a huge salvia
guaranitica in deep blue flower atm, must be 7ft tall and almost as
wide.

Janet.

in article , Janet Baraclough at
wrote on 19/10/03 5:09 pm:

The message
from Sacha contains these words:

Ray is developing one which we hope will be licensed and propagated. It
will be C. 'Tamana'. It's developed in our garden as a sport but what the
cross is we have no idea. The flowers are very large and what is nice, it
flowers later than Lucifer. Once we are allowed to sell it, I'll send you
some!

Yespleasethankyou:-)

Okay - hold your breath for a bit and all shall be yours!

Do you also grow Salvia confertiflora? It's in flower now with us and has
been for some time. It can be tender in a bad frost but that and Salvia
involucrata have come up with us over and over again in recent winters.

Yes, great foliage, huge spikes of red flowers and it goes on and on.
Do you have it in the ground, and if so do you mulch it? Mine is in a
big pot, so will need some good protection for winter. I meant to get
some cuttings going but never got round to it.I've not got involucrata
but have some other red one, raspberry something? planted in the ground;
I'm wondering whether to mulch it with fine gravel for winter or if even
that would be perilously damp round the crown.

Raspberry something? Don't know. I'll try to remember to ask Ray tomorrow
but S. involucrata is a very bright pink - what would once have been called
Schiaparelli pink, I suspect! We don't mulch any of ours but they're in a
bed alongside a house wall, not in pots. I may say that we also have
Nicotiana glauca in the same bed and Amicia zygomeris, both of which survive
and flower. Last year we went to -7 but all came back and flowered well.

Another new-to-me is salvia leucothoe, in the ground, which is getting
a bit battered by autumn wind, but the bits that blow off have rooty
ends so I can pot them up. Brodick castle gardens has a huge salvia
guaranitica in deep blue flower atm, must be 7ft tall and almost as
wide.

Janet.

I barely knew about Salvias until I met Ray. Coming from the Channel
Islands, I simply cannot imagine why they aren't grown more widely there.
They're the most enormous value, IMO.
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)