Kniphofia is a hardy perennial of the Liliaceae family, known as Red Hot Poker or Torch Lily, native to Madagascar and tropical South Africa. They grow from enlarged rhizomes and have long sword like leaves. In summer the plants produce spikes of brightly colored, hanging orange-red flowers. The older varieties are mainly red with a yellow base, hence the name ‘Red Hot Poker’.
They were brought to England in 1707 and initially were kept as greenhouse treasures until 1848 when they were planted outdoors and their hardiness was discovered. They are named after Johannes Hieronymus Kniphof 1704-1763, a professor of Medicine at Erfurt University in Germany.
The genus Kniphofia is closely related to Aloe. The tubular flowers are much loved by insects and hummingbirds. They are heat and drought tolerant, most species being evergreen but a few are deciduous, sprouting from the base in Spring. The leaves are not succulent like aloes and resemble thick grasses or phormiums, providing interest throughout the season.
Red-hot pokers make a brilliant display in a garden and the flowers last for a long time. The showy, bright-colored flowers are ideal for adding a splash of color to an area and make a bold statement. Kniphofia tolerate wind well and are often seen growing close to the coast. They also make excellent cut flowers.
The old fashioned red and yellow form has survived years of neglect in old gardens. I can remember these from my childhood and thought they were rather sinister. I also remember my ex mother in law had an old clump of these plants in her garden.
In recent years however a lot of work has gone into breeding more interesting species of Kniphofia, with yellow, cream, orange, red or green flowers. I remember my garden in Yorkshire had a fantastic green variety named ‘Percy’s Pride’.
They are tough plants, hardy and reliable. They grow well in rich soil located in an open, sunny position or in partial shade. Most species require plenty of water in the growing season to perform well, some will even enjoy marshy conditions. They should be fed during the growing season and are generally hardy to at least zone 6. They resent disturbance and sometime will take a season to settle down to regular flowering. They can be divided and replanted to obtain new plants and will grow for many years in the same spot. Seed produced plants take several years to reach flowering size. They reach a height of about 3 feet, most of this being the flower stem which bears hundreds of small, tubular florets opening from the bottom of the flower up.
Unfortunately for me Kniphofias are marginally hardy in Maine, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my newly planted summer specimen will overwinter. I would encourage all my Gardenbuddies to try this outstanding perennial. Even if you don’t have a hot color themed garden, there are toffee, melon, peach and lemon cultivars to tempt you.
I wish to acknowledge the gracious co-operation of Candy Fagerlin, Kevin McCarthy, Sam Whiskey and Betsy Wolfe for providing photographs for this article.
