South African origin garden hybrid corm forming naturalised drifts of sword-shaped leaves and arching one-sided spires of small orange trumpet flowers in summer. The familiar wild orange "crocosmia" of British and Irish roadsides.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 6–10 | −23.3 °C to 4.4 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H5 | −15 °C to −10 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 7–9 | −12 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 2–6 | −10 °C to 15 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
Growing notes
- Originally bred from Crocosmia aurea × C. pottsii in late 19th-century France, naturalised widely from gardens
- WARNING: Listed INVASIVE in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, the Pacific Northwest US, and parts of Australia — escapes by corm chains and seed, do not plant in those regions or contain rigorously
- Distinct from the larger and tidier garden hybrid Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ already in the database from batch 6 — montbretia is the smaller-flowered weedy parent
- Cut down to ground each spring and lift unwanted spread
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Montbretia against your zones