Crocosmia crocosmiiflora 'Lucifer'

Overview

Crocosmia crocosmiiflora 'Lucifer': The Architectural Flame of Summer

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the late-summer garden, prized for its fiery intensity and bold, architectural silhouette. This award-winning variety is famous for its arching, wand-like stems that bear twin rows of vibrant, tomato-red flowers, resembling flickering flames against the sky. Its dramatic, sword-shaped foliage is deep green and pleated, providing a structural, "exotic" backdrop that remains attractive long before and after the blooms appear. Fast-growing and incredibly hardy, 'Lucifer' is the perfect choice for adding vertical drama and a tropical punch to temperate garden borders.

Key Features

• Intense Saturated Colour: The flowers are a brilliant, glowing red that doesn't fade, making it one of the most eye-catching perennials for high-summer impact.

• Pollinator Magnet: The tubular shape of the blooms is a favourite for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, providing a vital nectar source during the hottest months of the year.

• Structural Elegance: The combination of upright, iris-like foliage and elegantly recurved flower spikes adds a sophisticated, sculptural element to any planting scheme.

• Robust and Easy-Care: Once established, 'Lucifer' is drought-tolerant and pest-resistant, spreading reliably to form impressive, flower-filled clumps year after year.

Gardener's Tip

To see 'Lucifer' at its most majestic, plant the corms in full sun; while it will grow in partial shade, the stems are much stronger and the flower colour more vivid when sun-drenched. Because this variety is so vigorous, it can become quite dense over time; divide the clumps every 3–4 years in early spring to maintain its vitality and flowering power. For a "designer" look, pair the scarlet blooms with deep purple flowers like Salvia or the dark mahogany foliage of Dahlia 'Bishop of Oxford' to create a rich, smouldering border display.

Specifications