Crocosmia Star of the East - Montbretia

The Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Star of the East' is an old variety of montbretia dating back to 1912, still considered one of the best. The plant produces beautiful light green clumps, blooming for several summer weeks. Its flowers are wide, bright orange with burnt orange reverses, opening up to a lighter throat speckled with Bordeaux. Not very tall, non-invasive, but relatively hardy and floriferous, this variety excels in flowerbeds. 'Star of The East' will bring any decor a bright and exotic touch.

Crocosmia, or montbretia, is a herbaceous perennial plant of South African origin, belonging to the iris family. It is similar to the gladiolus and is cultivated similarly in cooler climates. In nature, Crocosmia develops in the sun, in fertile soils, moist in summer and drier in winter. In the garden, they resist more or less well to our cold and humid winters, depending on the species and varieties.

In spring, the Crocosmia hybrid 'Star of The East' forms a clump of basal leaves, erect but flexible, 60 cm (24in) high, and produces from mid-July solid, slightly arched floral stems, 80-90 cm (32-35in) tall. Each branch bears a more or less horizontal branched spike, tightly packed with numerous copper-orange buds that open from the bottom to the top of the stem. The fully open flowers measure about 7 cm (3in) in diameter. The flowers are well open in this variety, composed of 6 petals. The leaves are sword-shaped, a beautiful light and vibrant green. Their surface is plicate and strongly veined, and they spread out in a dense fan from the base of the plant. Crocosmia's reserve organ is a corm, an underground pseudo-bulb formed by a swollen stem surrounded by scales.

Half-bulb, half-shrub, and montbretia symbolise the splendour of summer better than any other plant through the abundance and cheerfulness of their flowering. Easy to grow, vigorous, but demanding, they are planted in the sun, in groups of 10 corms, in fertile soil that remains slightly moist in summer. Their vibrant colours form magnificent combinations with annuals (Cosmos, love-in-a-mist, poppies). They blend well in natural gardens, mixed with light perennials such as fennel, Baptisia, common sage, or catmints. It looks stunning when paired with grasses, especially in front of a screen of colourful foliage shrubs. They are also magnificent in front of a screen of conifers or dark green evergreen shrubs.

When they thrive in the ground, in sunny exposure and well-drained soil, they multiply over the years and become more beautiful every year.