Hi Ivy,

I was going to write to suggest you give it a try, but I decided to do a search to see what zone "they're" saying it's hardy to these days, and, lo and behold, I ran into the thread I'm linking below from the Gardening in Canada Forum!

That WAY supported my views, so GO FOR IT!

What I was gonna say is this! There are a lot of people here along the front range growing it---the "it" being Crocosmia 'Lucifer'. Back when I first got mine, most of the places where I looked it up online said it was z6, some even said it was z7. When I used to sell it here in the Denver area, I always told people it was marginally hardy around here, and that's what I still believed when I got mine. But I've always loved it, it's absolutely stunning when it's blooming, so I decided to try one. NO problem! I worried about it the first winter, but it came up bigger and better the next spring. I don't worry about it anymore---well---I worry about it spreading too much, but it's in heavy clay, and so far it's been very manageable. (When I just checked zones now, most of the sites I checked said z5 and a few still said z6. I didn't find any saying z7 anymore!)

In my opinion 'Lucifer' is easily hardy to zone 5, and, especially if you put one in a place where it will have snow cover all winter (or you can shovel a pile of snow on top of it), or you mulch it with something that allows for air circulation, I really think you can successfully grow it. You can also find a nice micro-climate area where it'll be in a somewhat warmer spot than other areas in your yard, possibly next to a or some big, dark rocks that would hold heat and help protect it, or next to the south side of your house or another building or a privacy type fence which would add some extra protection and heat. You know the areas in your yard that tend to be a little bit warmer---if there's enough sun, plant it in one of those spots. Once it gets established there, you can remove some of the small shoots that are starting to spread out and plant them in other spots to see how it works!

It might take me a week to find it, but I'm 99% sure I have some seed around here for 'Lucifer' if you'd like me to send you some. I've just started trying to get my ducks----I mean, my seeds in order, and I hope to get it done in (less than) the next two weeks! I've never grown it from seed, so I don't know about germination info, but my guess is that it would be an excellent candidate for winter sowing. If you put a few seeds in a small pot of moist soil (store bought---not Hyponex), and sealed it in a zipper baggie and stuck it outside in a shady spot, it would be naturally cold stratified for the rest of the winter, and should come up at some point in spring. (If you're planning to do other winter sowing, just include it with the rest of your stuff!) [I'd gladly look up germination info for you, but all my (almost 3000) Favorites "got lost" between my old computer and my new one, and I haven't figured out yet how I'm gonna try to get them back. I've "found" a few of the ones I use the most, but that's a time consuming project---even for the ones I remember! Google Tom Clothier and then click on the green thumb by "perennials" and you'll find the info you need! Eventually I'll get up to speed again!] If you had the seed going in early spring and planted it in the ground as soon as the roots were big enough to do so, it would have time to "dig in" before the first winter, and I bet it would do well for you!

Read the info in the thread below, and I believe you'll be convinced!

Let me know if you want to give the seed a try,
Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: Hardy Lucifer Crocosmia?

Skybird you are the best! Thank you for the most helpful info in gardenwebdom. Would love to try some seeds for winter sowing (if you find 'em :)

Mine do great here in Fort Collins. Never a problem with winter kill. I don't do anything special to protect them, and they're not in a particularly warm or protected spot. Regrettably I don't know the variety, since they were already here when I bought the house in 99. It's half way between orange and scarlet. It spreads but very slowly. It's gone from one or two stalks to about 18 within a 2 foot diameter circle in 10 years. It's one of my favorite flowers now. Blooms from July 14th till about 7th of August. I'd like to try a couple additional varieties. Maybe a true scarlett.

Bruce

Ivy, go to my bio page, click on "send me an email," and send me your address so I can send them when I find them.

Ion, this is 'Lucifer'! If you decide to try other Crocosmias, check them out carefully first. The hardiness of the different varieties varies WIDELY.

Skybird

I would get some offsets from someone who has them in your area. Here they don't do well for me, but I don't amend my native soil so that might have something to do with it too.

Dan

My winter temps are probably a bit lower than Skybirds, and mine overwintered here too, without any special protection. It was a late riser, and was still pretty small the second year. Don't think this was due to a lack of hardiness though. It was pretty much decimated by grasshoppers the first year, so I'm sure that set it back considerably.

If Skybird can't locate seeds for it, let me know, I'm pretty sure I have some. I was thinking of trying to wintersow some too. The plant I have I believe came from Catladysgarden, at one of the RMG swaps.

Bonnie

I'm really surprised you've had a problem with them, Dan! Mine is planted in "not quite potter's," but still pretty bad clay. It's one of the things I planted when I was still trying to get rid of the rock mulch I "inherited," so I was just kind of pushing it back far enough to be able to cut a hole in the nasty, nasty landscape fabric so I could dig a little hole in "whatever I found" to stick it in. "What I found" was bad clay, but I couldn't dig in enough to even try to amend at that point, so it went in, with hopes that I'd get back later to "replant" it---which never happened. If you want to try again, I could send you some seeds, or, if you ever come to a swap, I usually have a couple very small starts, or, if it was at a swap that Catladysgarden came to, she brings bigger plants if somebody wants one. At least those options would give you a way to try it free, so if it didn't work again, it wouldn't have cost you anything.

Bonnie, YES, the one you have is the one from Catlady! I also had one of my tiny ones for you that year (can you believe that was fall of '07?), but when Catlady brought some big ones to the Fall Swap, I snagged one of those for you too, and I'm sure that's the one you're talking about. I brought you one of my little ones too that year, but it hadn't rooted very well yet, and I'd be surprised if it made it, especially since you were planting them in fall.

And, I just checked my seed, and I DO have 'Lucifer' seed for sure, but it's still gonna be a few days before I have time to go thru my pile of bowls and boxes and big paper bags to see if I collected some this year too. I'm pretty sure I did, and I'll send that if I'm right. (And I'm still busy trying to finish with that Adopt a Newbie "seed order" that's your fault, Bonnie! LOL! Plus cleaning the house for a visit from "you know who!")

Ivy, don't forget to send me your address.

Skybird

I'm a little disappointed as well, as I used to use them in my other houses and when I had the design business and clients loved them. Ah, well. Plenty of other things like the yard...

Dan

Skybird, you are right! I was thinking I've had the crocosmia 2 years, but it HAS been three. The second year, when I thought it didn't come back, it was because a mysterious daylily was growing up right through the middle of the plant. One of Catlady's many daylilies must have dropped a seed in that pot. At least it was a RED one, LOL!!!