"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Ophelia wrote:
"Jake" wrote in message
. ..

I am needing to replant some montbretia. How will I treat them,
please?
Replant with the dying tops, or can I trim them and just replant the
bulbs?
Would it be better to dry out over winter and then plant, or can I do
it
now?

This is more on experience with similar bulbs than on montbretia
itself, but I am pretty sure that they are similar to (say) my
byzantine gladioli.

Once the tops have definitely gone brown (even if not dessicated),
you can replant the corms and cut the tops off. It would probably
be better to do it now, rather than wait, because of all the things
that can go wrong in storage.

I've found that, like anything in the "crocosmia family" they are as
tough as old boots. They spread here like wildfire and I now dig up
clumps whenever I want to shift them around, any time of year. As long
as they're lifted and replanted immediately, they don't seem to come
to any harm.

Indeed, lifting and replanting when they're "in the green" is a lot
easier than waiting for the foliage to die down - the bulbs are a lot
easier to find! Once the foliage starts dying, it can come away from
the bulb very easily.

Thanks very much, Jake. Yes they do tend to spread I like to grow them
because my Grandparents had them in their garden and they bring back a lot
of happy memories, so I always need some growing in any garden I have)

I like them - they are an interesting addition to Cornish hedges,
which has happened since I lived there, but Cambridge is a bit
cold or dry for them to do well. They grow, but not vigorously.

Could you grow them in a tub?
--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/