WITH their sword-shaped foliage and elegant branching heads of flowers in sunshine-rich colours, crocosmias, most of which are found in South Africa, make wonderful garden plants. Surprisingly, given that there are only seven species in the gene pool, there are plenty to choose from. They come in varying heights and their foliage can differ from neatly pleated bright green to soft brown or grey. They begin to flower in July, with the popular bright-red Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ being one of the earliest. The giant lowered honeyed orange ‘Star of the East’ (1910) and ‘Castle Ward Late’ (pre-1985) will often linger into October.
Flower and petal shape vary, differences that have attracted plant breeders ever since the French nurseryman Victor Lemoine (1823–1911) crossed a stream-side species, C. pottsii, with C. aurea, a woodland species in 1879. Their offspring became known as Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora or montbretia. The common name honours a French botanist who accompanied Napoleon when he invaded Egypt between 1798 and 1801. Ernest Coquebert de Montbret (1780–1801) died of the plague in Cairo, at only 21 years, but he is remembered through the flowers. Most early crocosmias are montbretia hybrids and many are, frankly, weedy.
Denne historien er fra March 24, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 24, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
