Small gardens and flowering pots: opt for compact Crocosmias!

Benefits of compact crocosmias

Crocosmias bring a touch of exoticism and bright colour to gardens. Crocosmias of modest size, compact, offer several advantages for gardeners. With a height ranging from 40 to 60 cm and a width of 40 to 50 cm, they are perfect for small spaces and pair well with other perennials. Their compact habit makes them easy to integrate into borders, beds or pots, even in the smallest gardens. Their abundant and long-lasting flowering ensures colour throughout the summer. Moreover, these plants are robust, requiring little maintenance once established, and are resistant to diseases and pests. Their ability to attract pollinators is an added asset for a vibrant, wildlife-friendly garden.

Small yellow crocosmias

Among the compact varieties, yellow-flowered crocosmias stand out for their brilliance and brightness.

Crocosmia ‘Walberton Yellow’

The crocosmia ‘Walberton Yellow’ is a compact variety reaching around 60 cm in height and 40 cm across. Its flowers, a bright, clear yellow, bloom from July to September. Its dark green, slender foliage contrasts nicely with its bright flowers. This variety is ideal for borders or pots.

Crocosmia ‘Norwich Canary’

The crocosmia ‘Norwich Canary’ is characterised by pale yellow flowers with a pale orange reverse, arranged in clusters on slender stems, borne by gracefully arching flowering spikes. With an average height of around 60 cm, it is a vigorous variety, initially pale orange in bud, opening into trumpet-shaped flowers about 3 cm in diameter, with narrow petals. The flower tube is yellow-orange. Its deciduous, bright green, sword-shaped leaves spread out in a fan or in fairly dense sprays.

Crocosmia ‘Solfatare’

The Crocosmia ‘Solfatare’ is a particularly interesting variety thanks to its foliage tinted with caramel and bronze, which bears near the terminal end a branched spike, almost horizontal, with numerous apricot-yellow buds. They bloom into slightly star-shaped flowers, oriented horizontally or upwards, resembling small orange-yellow daylilies, about 4 cm in diameter, brightening as the hours pass. At 50 cm tall, this crocosmia stands out for its contrasting and exotic appearance. Ideal in a border, it adds a touch of sophistication and colour diversity, catching the eye with its originality. This century-old variety has earned an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in England.

Crocosmia ‘Buttercup’

The crocosmia ‘Buttercup’ is a compact variety, reaching approximately 40 cm in height. It bears nearly 40 orange buds, well distributed along the flowering stem, forming tubular golden-yellow flowers, about 3.5 to 4 cm in diameter, opening widely at the throat of the same yellow. They are soft and luminous, perfect for small gardens and borders. Its light-green foliage and abundant flowering make ‘Buttercup’ an excellent choice to bring light and cheer to restricted spaces.

Crocosmia ‘George Davison’

The crocosmia ‘George Davison’ is a variety appreciated for its generous flowering and robustness. At a height of 45 cm by 40 cm wide, its orange buds open into pale butter-yellow flowers of about 25 mm in diameter, spreading in dense clusters, bringing a touch of softness and light to the garden. It is one of the smaller varieties, and is particularly suited to pots and borders, where it can be combined with other perennials for a harmonious effect.

Crocosmia ‘Columbus’

The crocosmia ‘Columbus’ stands out for its dynamic flowers, for a two-tone impression and an especially elegant habit. Its 40 orange buds, enclosed in purplish bracts, open into tubular golden-yellow flowers, about 3 cm in diameter, with a red-orange reverse. At the base of their throats there are also red-orange markings, and the foliage is dark green. This compact variety, reaching 50 cm in height, is ideal for small gardens and borders. Its bright flowering attracts pollinators and adds a touch of exotic colour.

Clockwise: Crocosmia ‘Columbus’, ‘George Davison’, ‘Buttercup’, ‘Walberton Yellow’, ‘Solfatare’

Small orange Crocosmias

Among the compact varieties, the orange-flowered crocosmias bring a touch of warmth and vitality, enhancing the exoticism of these plants. Their abundant and long-lasting flowering ensures colour throughout the summer.

Crocosmia ‘Emily McKenzie’

The crocosmia ‘Emily McKenzie’ is a very attractive variety, distinguished by relatively large flowers, in bright orange with a brick-red throat, offering a soft, but distinctive, contrast. Each flower, about 4 cm in size, has broad and slightly undulated petals, arising from brown-purple bracts, and forms compact clusters on flexible stems and slender foliage. This variety, reaching about 60 cm in height, is ideal for borders and beds where it adds a touch of warmth and exotism. A favourite!

Crocosmia ‘Carmine Brillant’

The crocosmia ‘Carmine Brillant’ is a variety renowned for its great floribundity; each flowering stem bears up to 100 flowers! They are a soft apricot-orange, touched with small strokes of carmine red around a yellow throat. About 4 cm, funnel-shaped, they open from buds of orange-red. The plant forms in spring a tuft of basal, flexible leaves about 50 cm tall. Its deciduous light-green foliage contrasts nicely with the vibrant flowers. This variety has earned an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in England.

Crocosmia ‘Dusky Maiden’

Crocosmia ‘Dusky Maiden’ features deep orange flowers with brownish reflections. The petals, slightly curved, create an impression of depth and texture. This variety, reaching about 50 cm in height, is ideal for small gardens and containers. Its bronze-green foliage adds an extra dimension to its exotic beauty.

Crocosmia ‘James Coey’

Crocosmia ‘James Coey’ is a compact variety reaching 50 cm in height. Its flowers, a somewhat orange with a pale yellow throat, are arranged in dense spikes. The petals are narrow and elongated, forming delicate and elegant flowers. This variety is perfect for borders and beds, offering abundant and long-lasting flowering.

Crocosmia ‘Fire King’

The crocosmia ‘Fire King’ offers bi-coloured flowers orange and red, but it is tempting to classify it among orange-flowered cultivars, as from a distance the impression is more orange. The tubular flowers, 5 cm in diameter, scarlet red and deep orange, are large and arranged in loose clusters. Their somewhat translucent texture allows the sun to magnify these very warm colours. This variety, reaching 60 cm in height and 30 cm wide, forms a compact clump of slender, grass-like foliage in bright green. It brings an explosion of colour to borders and beds.

Crocosmia ‘Emily McKenzie’, ‘Fire King’ and ‘Carmine Brillant’

Small red crocosmias

Red-flowered crocosmias are prized for their striking visual impact and add an exceptional ornamental dimension to the garden. The colour red is ideal for creating striking focal points, drawing the eye and adding a touch of warmth and passion to any outdoor space.

Crocosmia ‘Emberglow’

The crocosmia ‘Emberglow’ is a remarkable variety that unfurls its ruby-red flowers with burnt-orange highlights, from incandescent red buds. Each flower, star-shaped and 3 cm in diameter, features slender, pointed petals that open into dense spikes. This compact variety, reaching about 60 cm in height, bears a horizontally ramified spike with around 50 buds. It adds sophistication and warmth. Its dark-green foliage contrasts superbly with the richness of its flowers.

Crocosmia ‘Mars’

The crocosmia ‘Mars’ stands out for its vivid scarlet flowers. The petals, slightly curved outward, form slender, graceful spikes. With a height of around 60 cm, this variety is perfect for creating intense colour accents in borders and beds. Its light-green foliage enhances the depth and brightness of its flowers. This variety evokes the famous ‘Lucifer’ variety in a compact form!

Crocosmia ‘Zeal Tan’

The crocosmia ‘Zeal Tan’ features deep crimson flowers with a golden-yellow throat. The flowers are large and arranged in compact spikes. This variety, reaching around 60 cm in height, is ideal for small gardens and pots, where it can be used to create striking focal points. Its dark-green foliage provides a perfect contrast to the intensity of its flowers.

Crocosmia ‘Mars’ resembles a compact version of the excellent variety ‘Lucifer’