Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie'
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Emily McKenzie' · Iridaceae
Large, wide-open flowers of bright orange, each with a mahogany-red blotch in the throat, on arching sprays in late summer.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 12 in wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early August to mid September
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie'
The planner designed this bed around crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Common thyme × 8, lavender
- 2 Heath aster 'Snow Flurry' × 9, white
- 3 Hyssop 'Blue Boa' × 3, purple
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Wild geranium × 3, pink
- 7 Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' × 1, orange
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only trumpets. The others are dense clusters, daisies, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only orange.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between common thyme (10 in) in front and hyssop 'Blue Boa' (3 ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- One plant. Three or more is usual for a plant of this kind, and reads better.
Why now
- In flower for 8 weeks. From early August to mid September.
- Part of the bed's peak. With hyssop 'Blue Boa' and false sunflower 'Summer Nights' in early August: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 3 kinds, in late June. Hyssop 'Blue Boa' and false sunflower 'Summer Nights' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Shorter and later than 'Lucifer', with much bigger flowers. It is less vigorous, which is a virtue: it stays where it is put.
- Late-summer colour
- Hot borders
- Cutting
What to plant with crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sneezeweed: in flower together for seven weeks, from early August; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- Black-eyed Susan: in flower together for eight weeks, from early August; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln': in flower together for eight weeks, from early August; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
Questions about crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie'
Does crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' need sun or shade?
Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early August to mid September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 6 | Early August to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Late July to mid September |
| Zone 8 | Late July to mid September |
| Zone 9 | Mid July to mid September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' be planted?
10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 12 in (30 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' plants do I need?
At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 55 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie'?
Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' comes from South Africa. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Bottle gentian: the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, flowers late August to early October.
- Gloriosa daisy: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in taller, 6 in wider.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What can I plant to hide crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie''s leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
- Garden chrysanthemum: 24 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower mid September to late October.
- Daylily: 2½ ft tall and 24 in wide, in flower late June to early August.
What does crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' look like in winter?
Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
Is crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' good for bees and butterflies?
Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' is visited by hummingbirds.
More Crocosmia
- Crocosmia 'Lucifer' Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
- Montbretia Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 12 in (30 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 in (25 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early August to mid September; trumpets; orange, red
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Comes from
- South Africa
- Attracts
- Hummingbirds
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.