I collected seed from my Crocosmia (I believe "Honey Angels") and I'd like to see whether I can get healthy plants from them or not.
What are the right conditions to make them germinate? When do I start? If not now, how do I store the seeds, and how do I "reactivate" them later on? What type of soil? Those are some of the questions I have in my mind.
We frequently buy cut flowers and enjoy them on our dining room table. Once spent, we toss them out the back door into the azalea hedge beside a little creek that runs behind our house. Lo and behold, spears of green appeared this summer in the azaleas and I was thinking "marsh grass" since we live on the North Carolina coast. I noticed a blaze of orange just now, and after researching, discovered they are wonderful crocosmia volunteers, most likely from one of the spent flower arrangements. The area is damp and has quite a bit of dead leaves and pine straw from the azaleas, sunny in winter and shaded in summer. They seem to start from seed just fine in moist, loamy, slightly acid soil. I would just plant the whole pod in a thick layer of rotten leaves in a moist area to duplicate these conditions.
As with all other seeds, you need seed and cutting compost, sometimes called seed starter compost in other countries. The seeds themselves should be 'ripe', meaning you harvested them when the pods were dry and crackling. Separate the seeds from the seed pods and remove any bits of stuff remaining. Sow the seeds about a quarter inch deep in a seed tray filled with seed compost - you can do this now, mid to late autumn is the usual time. Mist water so as not to disturb the seeds, and place the tray in a brightly lit spot. Keep the tray at a temperature of 60-70 deg F over winter, and keep it damp but not sodden - they should germinate within 2-4 weeks. Prick out into individual cells or small pots, still in seed and cutting compost, when they have produced their first set of true leaves. Keep them at the same temperature, pot on as necessary as they grow, switching to multi purpose compost.
Once all risk of frost is over, plant out if they are big enough - if not, keep in pots until they are. They will not flower for at least two years, and the results may be variable - crocosmia seeds do not necessarily come true to the parent plant.
If you want to increase your stock of the Crocosmia variety you already have, you can dig them up, split the clump and replant separately either now or in spring. Any seeds not used now can be stored in a paper bag, in a very dry, dark place.
I live in Durban, South Africa. My garden is very shady and a few Crocosmia plants (original stock not hybrids) were growing in the bush when we built our house. I collect the seed pods at the end of summer every year and scatter them towards the back of beds and in the forest area, as well as sharing them with friends. I intend to look for Crocosmia lucifer seeds when I visit Europe in May. They are magnificent. It is so sad that here in South Africa they are overlooked in gardens and I have never seen hybrids in nurseries.
Crocosmia or montbretia is a highly invasive plant and is causing severe problems to hedgerows, the last remaining corridors for our native wildlife. It flowers late in the season and outcompetes almost all other plants normally found on our hedgerows. This has a direct impact on insects, and birds.
Crocosmia is easy from seeds but in certain places in the uk it's a weed so you should have no problems growing it . Most people spend time trying to get rid of it as it can be very vigorous so beware it can spread all over your garden
