A tall-growing perennial hardy in USDA zones 5 through 10, red hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria) produces a large number of flowers on each plant. It makes an excellent cut flower that lasts a week or longer in a bouquet. Birds, bees and butterflies find this plant attractive, and it makes an excellent addition to a garden designed to attract these flying pollinators.
Popular Varieties of Kniphofia Grown in the UK. There is an extensive range of Pokers available, ranging from tall to medium and dwarf height. Not all kniphofia flowers are red however, there is a wide selection of named varieties that provide a flowering season from April to October, in colours varying from white through all the shades of yellow, red and orange. Aug 29, 2019 This item: 50 TORCH LILY Red Hot Poker / Tritoma / Kniphofia Uvaria Flower Seeds $2.49 In Stock. 30 Pcs/lot Kniphofia Flower Seeds Red Hot Pokers-plants Pretty And Long Blomming Fiery $2.26. Jul 20, 2019 Red-hot pokers (Kniphofia) come in a range of warm colours and flower over a long period in summer.Monty Don recommends three elegant varieties, with flowers of apricot, ivory and yellow, explaining how to plant them and the conditions they enjoy.
Appearance
Red hot poker is an upright-growing, clump-forming perennial that reaches 4 feet or more high under ideal conditions. Sword-shaped leaves grow from a basal tuft. The flower stalks emerge in early summer sans blossoms, which develop at the terminal ends. They form a raceme of drooping, tubular flowers that open from the bottom up.
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Intolerant of wet, heavy soils, especially in winter, red hot poker prefers full sun with well-drained, dry to medium-dry soil. Plant red hot poker in the back of the perennial border or mass it together in groups of three as a feature in the landscape.
Varieties
Species varieties of red hot poker have flowers in red, orange, coral or combinations. The named cultivar 'Prince Igor' has yellow flowers and grows 80 inches high. 'Minister Verschuur' also produces yellow flowers on smaller plants that grow just 40 inches high.
Care
Plant red poker rhizomes 4 inches deep in early spring when temperatures are reliably in the upper 40s. Rarely needing supplemental irrigation or fertilization, red hot pokers are hardy down to 14 degrees F. Dig the rhizomes at season's end, and store them moist at a temperature of 35 degrees F. In areas where winter temperatures reliably stay above 14 degrees F, mulch heavily in late fall when the foliage dies down.
Pests
Red hot poker is seldom bothered by pests or diseases.
Red Hot Pokers are flowering perennials that bloom in the summer with torch-shaped, bright, red, yellow and orange flowers. Sometimes called Torch Lilies, Red Hot Poker plants can grow up to 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide, and often used as border or specimen plants. Many varieties of Red Hot Pokers exist, with slightly different but always vibrant flower colors and different blooming times. Some varieties bloom in the late spring and early summer, some in mid-summer, and others in late summer and early autumn. Red Hot Poker plants grow best in USDA zones 5 through 9, where winter temperatures don’t drop below -15 degrees Fahrenheit.
Plant your Red Hot Pokers in a location with full sun and well-draining soil in the spring, after the soil has warmed up and all danger of frost has passed.
Water your Red Hot Poker plants deeply once or twice each week during the hot summer months. Water during the spring and early autumn only during dry spells.
Remove all spent flowers as soon as they fade to promote re-blooming of your Red Hot Poker plants.
Spread a 4-inch-thick layer of bark mulch around the Red Hot Poker plants in the fall to protect them through the cold winter months. Remove the mulch in the spring, after the last frost.
Cut away all the dead or damaged foliage from the Red Hot Poker plants in the early spring. You can also cut the plant down to its base in late fall.