When can I cut back my spent crocosmia? The flowers are long gone, but long iris-like blades remain, still green, but flopped over looking terrible. Can I cut them back now, or are they like irises that must be left alone until they turn brown and shrivel?
Thanks.
-F
I don't do anything to mine until the leaves turn completely brown and loosen from the corms. In my case here in Eastern Tennessee, that can sometimes take as long as late winter. These things tend to flop all over. That's why I purchased a grid support ring this year and positioned it over the area where the crocosmia were at to support the newly emerging leaves and later the flowering stems. And yes, the leaves feed the corms. One year I got energetic and was going to clean up the Lucifer crocosmia. When I pulled at the tan leaves, the corms came out of the ground and I discovered that I had a stack of corms growing on top of each previous year's. When I replanted them, they never resprouted. The ones down in the woods box on the other hand are just fine and I never remember to clean the stems up. These are just some of those plants that take awhile to tidy up. madgardener who has the Montbretia orange ones and the Lucifer's and is hunting for those yellow ones with the name George in them............
The message from "madgardener" contains these words:
George Davidson or Davison.
Other yellow ones are solfaterre, Norwich canary, Buttercup.
(I have a crocosmia addiction problem, but I'm being brave about it.)
Janet
That's what I thought. Pretty unsightly though. :/
bulbs or corms from seed take three years..........and yes those grids at Lowes are a good investment. Check to see if Wally world has them in their nursery department and reduced. Better chance to get them cheaper. I used to and still use those three ringed tomato cages and cut them with wire cutters to use as small supports for some perennials. This year I've resorted to usiing anything that will brace up things.......I have a swamp sunflower that is threatening to take out my car LOL madgardener
it's good to try to be brave about it Janet (how the heck ARE you!!! it's great to see yer face!!) madgardener
Your conditions may be different but here in central Calif. they are so aggressive that I often whack them back as soon as they finish blooming and start flopping, they seem to come back as strong as ever. I just have the plain orange variety
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