My botany photo of the day is the crocosmia.  This photo is taken from the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden’s botany collection.  I love this bright red variety, it’s a very cheery looking flower.  Next time I am in Vancouver, I will have to make a visit to the botanical garden and see what other flowers they have growing.

Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’

Crocosmia are related to the gladiola and are hardy plants that bloom from mid to late summer. Gladious are some of my favorite summer flowers and very easy to grow.   In most regions, it is completely hardy if given a light mulch cover in winter. The plants will appear again in greater abundance each year.  For the crocosmia corms, it is suggested that clumps be divided in spring time every three years.

Looks lovely planted with other bright coloring flowers, such as the yellow and purple in the background.  I think it would make great cut flowers too.  For larger photos, click here.

UBC Botanical Garden is a member of the Canadian Botanical Gardens Consortium for Biodiversity.  This national initiative is a cooperative effort among Canada’s major research-oriented botanical gardens to identify, study, preserve and restore Canadian rare plants.   UBC Botanical Garden & Centre for Plant Research is assisting in the planning and development of a national seed bank with other consortium member institutions.

We think it’s a worthwhile venture to share the science and beauty of the plant world with you. In this age of extinction, we believe that it is imperative that botanical gardens have a role beyond studying the natural world: sharing the knowledge gained and advocating appreciation and understanding.