How Often You Should Divide Crocosmia For Beautiful Blooms Year After Year

Crocosmia (also known by its common name, montbretia) is a genus of flowering perennials that come in many varieties and hybrids, attract hummingbirds, and add vibrant splashes of red, yellow, orange, or pink to your garden. One of the most familiar and bestselling varieties is the hybrid 'Lucifer,' with its fiery-red blooms. Crocosmia grows via corms, which are similar to bulbs but differentiated by where they store their nutrient reserves. (It's helpful to learn how bulbs, rhizomes, and corms are different.)

Like many cormous plants, including those in the iris family, to which Crocosmia belongs, Crocosmia benefits from being divided periodically. This should happen every three to five years to assure bountiful blooms. The advantages of dividing also include alleviating crowding and opening airflow around the plants. Crocosmias grow in clumps of up to 18 inches wide. Dividing them not only gives new life to clumps but also yields more plants for your own use or to give away.

Keep an eye on your Crocosmia for signs these flowers need dividing. Plants that look especially crowded, have sparse or no blooms, or show a declining center of the plant signal a need to be divided. Bottom foliage in poor condition is also a sign Crocosmia needs dividing. They can be divided in early spring or fall, although the rule of thumb for spring- and summer-blooming plants such as this is to divide them in the fall to promote root and foliage growth.

Be sure you're aware of what you need to know about dividing perennials. The dividing process starts with digging and lifting an entire Crocosmia clump out of the ground. (Tip: It helps to wet the soil the day before digging to make the clump easier to lift out.) Next, clean off the roots by shaking them or squirting them with the garden hose, and then untangle the roots.

Divide the clump into individual corms. You'll need a sharp knife to cut into and divide the clumping root system. Keep the roots of the divided plants from drying out by planting them right away or storing them briefly in a bucket of water. With Crocosmia and many other perennials, it's all about the bloom, and dividing is just one way to keep your perennials blooming longer.