Gardening Montbretia Adds Height to Your Garden with Its Colorful Spikes By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on June 8, 2015 Share Tweet Pin Email This South African native is a favorite for adding blasts of color to gardens in late summer and early fall. It has long, sword-like leaves with gracefully-arching flower stems that bear numerous spikes of flowers in red, orange, yellow, and gold. The flower spikes can top 3 feet. Drought-tolerant. Zones 6 to 10 Soil and Light Rich, well-drained soil; full sun to light shade. Planting Plant corms in spring 2 inches deep and 3 inches apart. Special Helps "Lucifer" is one of the best-known cultivars. Mulch well for winter in Zone 6. Sometimes can be grown in Zone 5 in a protected spot with excellent drainage. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit