Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' is a stunning large-flowered Crocosmia with orange and burnt ochre outer petals surrounding a maroon 'eye' which in turn surrounds a yellow throat and yellow pistil and stamens. It is a very visually-arresting flower and the variable yet very bright combination of colours give an overall effect that is hot and exotic with a distinctive tropical air to it.

The blooms last well as cut flowers and the sword-like foliage is tall and showy but prefers semi-shade rather than full sun.

There are various stories about the origins of this wonderful Crocosmia and they are often repeated on the internet without any questioning. Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' was one of several hybrids produced by Ken McKenzie who lived in Wylam about ten miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne and he named it after his wife, Emily. Much speculation has centred on what the parentage of this hybrid is but like so many hybrids we will probably never know. Some have suggested it is a variation of 'Comet' an attractive orange hybrid of Crocosmia aurea and Crocosmia masoniorum developed by Sydney Morris and Jack Fitt during their time at Earlham Hall in Norfolk using stock that had been given to Morris by George Davison. 'Comet' sometimes goes by the synonym 'Malahide Castle'. 'Emily McKenzie' certainly has much of the rich burnt orange-yellow colouration of 'Comet'/'Malahide Castle'. It has also been suggested that 'Emily McKenzie' has Crocosmia pottsii somewhere in its parentage which is why it is sometimes seen listed under the now rather dated epithet Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora, the name given to hybrids between Crocosmia aurea and Crocosmia pottsii and first coined by Victor Lemoine.

Whatever its origins, 'Emily McKenzie' is a fabulous Crocosmia and if given a semi-shaded aspect, a rich, well-drained soil and a thick winter mulch it should give you many years of pleasure.