Crocosmia Solfatare - Montbretia

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Solfatare' is a variety of Montbretia that has been captivating gardeners for over 100 years with its hardiness and unique charm. This plant has beautiful iris-like foliage tinged with bronze or even caramel and produces graceful arching stems adorned with small, delicate flowers that start a lovely apricot yellow and lighten with time, an easy colour to accommodate in the garden. This perennial is stunning in borders or even near water features and provides beautiful cut flowers.

Crocosmia is a herbaceous perennial plant native to South Africa, belonging to the family Iridaceae. It shares many similarities with gladiolus and is often cultivated in a similar way, except in colder regions. In the wild, Crocosmia thrives in sunny locations with fertile, moist soil in summer and drier conditions in winter. In the garden, they will tolerate cold and damp winters to varying degrees, depending on the species and varieties. 'Solfatare' performs well in most regions, planted in well-draining soil and protected by a thick layer of mulch.

The 'Solfatare' variety was selected in France in 1887. In spring, this Montbretia forms a clump of flexible basal leaves, reaching a height of 50 cm (20in), which quickly spreads. After 3 to 4 years of cultivation under good conditions, this clump of leaves can cover almost 50 cm (20in) of ground. Flowering takes place in July and August, with slightly arching stems that can reach a height of 60 cm (24in). They bear a nearly horizontal branched spike of numerous apricot yellow buds that open into slightly star-shaped flowers, directed horizontally or upwards, resembling small yellow-orange daylilies with a diameter of about 4 cm (2in). The sword-shaped leaves are strongly tinged with bronze caramel, especially at the base. Their surface is pleated and strongly veined, and they spread out in a dense fan or cluster from the base of the plant. The storage organ is a corm, which is a swollen stem surrounded by scales.

Montbretias symbolise summer and bring all the exoticism of their origins to our gardens. They are easy to grow, vigorous, and undemanding planted in sunny locations in groups of 10 corms, in fertile and moist soil in summer. Their vibrant colours, yellow, orange, or red, create cheerful spots of colour in gardens. 'Solfatare' forms a beautiful combination with purple or blue asters. It also pairs well with catmints and sneezeweeds, in front of screens of golden or very dark foliage provided by Physocarpus or Cotinus. In a more contemporary or naturalistic style, Crocosmias mingle with grasses and Phormiums. When they thrive in the ground in sunny exposure and rich, well-drained soil, they multiply and become more beautiful each year. They are also excellent flowers for cutting.