Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ is a plant that has been banished from our fenced vegetable garden because it multiplies and grows well on its own without any attention and is a total space hog because of it. Last fall I dug up the crocosmia corms and moved some down to the street beside the rosemary and moved some just at the bottom of the deck stairs just outside the garden fence. They all popped back up this spring. The leaves are similar to the leaves of irises. I was worried we would be too rough on them with active kids running around and the garden hose being dragged back and forth beside them, but they’ve held up well.
This summer as the flowers have been blooming and filling in, I’ve been digging up and moving plants that just don’t visually work in the space they are growing in. Often when I buy plants, I don’t know exactly where they will be planted or don’t yet know how they will look two or more years into there growth. Such as the case with the canna lilies. They have been moved now at least three times. For several years they were in a spot that was too shady, and they never grew more than a few inches tall. This summer and last, they were in the sun and well over 6 ft. As the fire pit garden is developing it’s oven personality, canna lilies no longer fit. June is the best time to dig them up, but the way they were pushing into and growing taller than the cherry tree was driving me crazy. I moved them down to the rosemary at the street as well.
That poor little rosemary garden gets all the rejects such as the black-eyed Susan’s and cosmos I thinned out, but it’s becoming quite a cheerful spot in the front yard. My goal was to screen out the 4+ utility posts and covers that were eyesores. Of course, I found the ATT fiber line with my shovel twice, but I didn’t sever through the protective fibers fortunately. After I moved the canna lilies, I cut a couple feet off the top since they were too tall and falling over. I laid the clippings around the base of the shoots to help kill the grass and hold in water then spread a couple bags of much on top. While this summer may turn out to be a flop for the lilies, next summer they will look amazing.
Because there was a new open space next to the cherry tree, I filled it with some gaura that were crowding a little juniper. The gaura is definitely in shock and may also be a bust this summer, but I’m making changes that will hopefully lead to much better balance of height and color. I’ll update later with pictures of the rosemary garden.
One Comment
Lynn Hasty
That's a beautiful plant. I don't think I've heard of it before. The gardens here are coming along as well. Happy Thursday! xo Lynn