VAL BOURNE urges a brave approach to colour co-ordination in the garden

So many gardeners are frightened of using oranges, reds and clear yellows. If you are one of those colour-shy gardeners, I can assure you that the elegant crocosmia will allow you to dip a toe in the bright waters.

For these sensational garden plants, which come in strong, sunny colours in a variety of sizes and heights, are graceful and airy. Better still, crocosmias flower at different times, the earliest varieties in July and the latest in October.

Alan Bloom, the Norfolk plants man and nursery owner (1906-2005), brought them back into the public eye when he bred Lucifer'. It might never have happened but for the great winter of 1963. Alan grew two species, Crocosmia paniculata and Crocosmia masoniorum, and he lifted and stored the corms as you would gladioli, believing them to be too tender to grow in the garden. Both got left out and survived that gruelling winter. So Alan decided to hybridise them the following summer. He selected the seedlings and the best of all was a showy, clear red with bright green, pleated leaves.

Alan knew he'd found a stunning plant and he wanted a special name for his fiery crocosmia, not just the usual Bressingham prefix. He asked a Latin master who helped on his steam railway to think of one for him. Giving it some thought later that evening, the schoolmaster started to light his pipe and saw the name Lucifer emblazoned on his match box. Lucifer' has been blazing a trail round the world ever since it was launched in 1966 - along with Alan's Spitfire', Vulcan' and Firebird' all of the same year.

Lucifer' renewed gardener's and nurserymen's interest in crocosmias and old varieties reappeared including some found by Graham Stuart Thomas in old National Trust gardens. Excellent older varieties include the very late flowering Star of the East' (Davison 1910), a golden-orange crocosmia with large, wide-open flowers that persist through October. George Davison' (Davison 1900) is an extremely early large-flowered orange-yellow and James Coey' (Fitt 1919) is a vivid orange-red. Gerbe d'Or' (Lemoine 1885) is a bronze-leaved apricot. The later Emily McKenzie' (1951) has a crimson-brown blotch in each large, wide orange flower.

New varieties appearing in the wake of Lucifer' include the day-glo orange Severn Sunrise (1990). Walberton's Yellow' (pre-1980) is an exceptionally long-flowering yellow with outward-facing flowers. Zeal Tan' (1991) is a bright iridescent orange with a yellow-eye. Limpopo' is brand new pink crocosmia that I spotted at Cotswold Garden Flowers (www.cgf.net, tel 01386 833849) and they have the best range in Britain in my opinion.

Crocosmias are African natives and they have definitely enjoyed our wet winter and mostly rainy summer. They all prefer sunny, warm positions in fertile soil and they mix well with equally sunny colours. Recently, I saw the July-flowering Lucifer' with the yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata) looking glorious. Heleniums, rudbeckias (or any yellow daisy), warmly toned dahlias, nasturtiums, cannas and calendulas all blend well. Or be very brave and set up a contrast with rich blues and purples.