How to Care Coppertips

Montbretia 'Emily Mckenzie' proudly displays a fiery blend of orange and red flowers, each with a distinctive mahogany throat, along pendulous stems. These vibrant blossoms stand atop sword-shaped green foliage in mid to late summer. A hardy perennial with a clumping habit, it thrives in full sun to partial shade, typically reaching 60-70 cm in height, drawing pollinators to its nectar-rich blooms. Intolerant of heavy, wet soils, montbretia 'Emily Mckenzie' flourishes in well-drained conditions, echoing its South African origins.

Montbretia 'Carmin Brillant' creates a bright statement in any garden, with its wealth of carmine-pink blooms — hence the name — embellished with yellow throats. It is one of 150 cultivars of Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora, and is prized for its ability to stay colorful even late in the season. This Montbretia won the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

The montbretia 'George Davison' variety of montbretia is notable for its brightly colored orange buds that become blooms of yellow flowers about 8 cm across. The variety grows to about 76 cm tall. Gardeners like the plant for its bright, showy flowers that attract pollinators.

Giant montbretia displays a fiery burst of trumpet-shaped flowers in radiant orange-red hues, gracefully arching on wiry stems that can reach up to 2 feet tall. Thriving in full sun to partial shade, it flourishes in well-drained soils, adding vibrance to midsummer gardens. Sword-like green foliage contrasts with the blossoms, evoking the wild beauty of South African grasslands, its native habitat.

Montbretia (*Crocosmia crocosmiiflora*) is a hybrid flowering plant native to France. The Latin name *Crocosmia crocosmiiflora* is derived from the Greek word "*krokus*" (saffron) and "*osme*" (smell). This plant's dried flowers smell of saffron when hot water is added to them.

Montbretia 'Lucifer' is an enchanting perennial known for its vibrant, fiery-red flowers and slender, arching stems. This captivating plant, which typically reaches a height of 2-3 feet, adds a touch of drama to any garden. Its showy blooms attract butterflies and hummingbirds, making it a great addition to pollinator-friendly landscapes. 'Lucifer' thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained soil. Interestingly, this plant gets its name from the Greek word 'krokos,' meaning saffron, due to its resemblance to the vibrant color of the spice. Additionally, Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is not only resistant to deer but also makes for stunning cut flowers, perfect for vibrant floral arrangements.

Angel's fishing rod is evergreen perennial herbs growing from large, fibrous-coated corms. It is lined with leaves that have linear blades with thick longitudinal veins and often no midrib. The inflorescence is a panicle of several spikes of flowers. The spikes may hang like bells or grow erect. The bell-shaped flowers of most wild species are pink; red, purple, yellow, and white taxa also exist. The fruit is a spherical capsule. There are about 44 species. They are native to Africa, with most occurring in the southern regions of the continent. The center of diversity is the province of KwaZulu-Natal in eastern South Africa.

Starfish lily is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to tropical and southern Africa. They are herbaceous corm-bearing plants growing to 30 to 45 cm tall.

Baboon root is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae composed of about 80 recognized species. The majority of these species are endemic to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.

Painted petal are cormous plants, usually small, and with deciduous leaves. The corms are small, campanulate to triangular in outline, and flat-based. The leaves are basal, often solitary. They may be plane and falcate, or linear and ribbed. The inflorescence is a spike, sometimes contracted and fasciculate or a corymbose panicle. The fruit is a membranous capsule containing many small seeds, either globose or angled by pressure. Some forty species have been described from sub-Saharan Africa, of which about a third are endemic to fynbos.