Crocosmia 6

Bright, bold and utterly brilliant, fiery crocosmias are one of the best ways to light up your garden from mid-summer to mid-autumn. Give them a sunny spot in almost any soil apart from very dry or waterlogged, and they’ll happily increase year on year, giving you more plants for free. Butterflies love the rich red, orange or yellow flowers which emerge on arching stems from handsome clumps of mid-green sword-like leaves, and the seed pods are an attractive feature of the late-season garden, too. Crocosmias are also an excellent cut flower, lasting for up to two weeks in the vase. Here are some of our best crocosmia varieties to try.