Crocosmia Columbus - Montbretia

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Columbus' is a medium variety with golden yellow flowers, with a reddish-orange striped throat. The buds are orange, contrasting beautifully with violet bracts. The flowering period is long, and the habit is particularly elegant. This Crocosmia is fairly hardy and easy to grow in moist soil and in the sun, beautiful near the terrace, where you can admire its vibrant clusters up close, in summer and even until autumn.

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora belongs to the iris family and is of horticultural origin. It was obtained in France around 1880, by Victor Lemoine from natural South African species. 'Colombus' is a particularly sunny variety resulting from this breeding. The flexible stems measure 50 to 60cm (20 to 24in) high and bear a horizontally branched spike, with nearly 40 orange buds enclosed in violet bracts. The flowers open up into golden yellow tubular flowers, about 30 mm (1in) in diameter, with a reddish-orange reverse. At the base of their throat, there are radiating reddish-orange marks. The flowers consist of 3 inner petals and 3 outer petals. The sword-shaped leaves are veined and pleated, spreading out in a fan or dense cluster from the base of the plant. Its storage organ is a corm, which is an underground pseudo-bulb formed by a swollen stem surrounded by scales.

Montbretias are the symbol of summer with their vibrant colours. They are easy to grow, vigorous and undemanding and thrive in sunny locations. Their yellow, orange, or red colours create cheerful spots in gardens. They are lovely combined with annuals or shrubs and are well-suited for natural gardens mixed with perennials or grasses. When they thrive in the ground in a sunny and well-drained location, they multiply and become more beautiful each year.