10 AUGUST 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 23TheAwardofGardenMeritisa markofquality
awardedsince 1922 togardenplants(includingtrees,vegetablesand
decorative plants) by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).‘Saracen’
Smokyredbudsopentobright,
bi-colouredflowers– tomatoredwith
contrastingyellowcentres– allset
offbyduskybronzefoliage.Neat,
veryprolificandeverybitasgoodin
containersasthey are in the border.
H: 28in (70cm).‘StaroftheEast’
Uprightstemscarryorange-redbuds
thatopentoyellow-eyed,goldenorange
flowers.Upto4in/10cmacross,they’re
trulyoutstanding.Thebreederdecided
hecouldneverbetterthisandturnedto
breeding apples instead! H: 28in (70cm).‘SevernSunrise’
Vigorousbutcompactplantswith
uprightgrowthandslenderfoliagecarry
orangeflowerswithyelloweyes.Blooms
aregatheredintodistinctivetight
clusters,andin fullsundevelopgentle
pinkish tints as they fade. H: 39in (1m).‘ZealGiant’
Verytallandunmistakablydramatic,the
broad,pleatedfoliagesetsoffarching
spraysof vividorangeflowersThe
enormouscormsaresaidtobe“like
thefossiliseddungfroma constipated
dinosaur”! Slow to increase. H: 5ft (1½m).‘Paul’sBestYellow’
Nicelypleatedrichgreenfoliage
supportsarchingspraysof impressively
outward-facing,richlycolouredgolden
yellowflowers.Thebloomsstartto
openearlierthanmostcrocosmias.
Probablythebestof alltherecent
introductions. H: 3ft (90cm).flowersmoreoutward-facing.‘Lucifer’
evenhasattractiveseedheadsandis
sometimescultivatedbycutflower
growerspurelyforthisfeature.
Sowhetheryouenjoythesurpriseon
a countryroadsideorappreciatethelong
displayin yourgardenora vase,there’s
nothing quite like a fiery crocosmia.Longfloweringseason
Flowerswithimpact
Goodavailability
Elegant habitWhat makes a good crocosmia?Wkicommons/CJ Johansson
Goodseedheads
Attractivefoliage
Reliability
Compact, non-invasive growth‘Lucifer’
Bigandbold,withstrikingdarkgreen
pleatedfoliagethatsetsoffarching
branchedspraysof vividdeepscarlet
flowers.Thesestandupfromthe
stemsandgivewaytoattractivedark
seedpodsthatlookgoodin cut flower
arrangements. H: 4ft (1.2m).