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Kniphofia: Click
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Click here for more about the RHS trial of Kniphofia in 2007/8
This is a reference point for our collection and plants are not necessarily for sale. For Kniphofia currently for sale CLICK HERE. Plants from the collection may be requested, but expect to wait some time for availability.
Growing Kniphofia
Kniphofia are versatile plants equally at home in
the mixed boarder / bed, the gravel garden or with grasses. The orange
shades associate well with tawny coloured Heleniums, whilst the lemon-green
shades go well with maroon flowers or red-leaved shrubs. For example we
use Kniphofia Percy's Pride in a our Gate bed growing alongside Physocarpus
"Diablo" and Cosmos
atrosanguinea. The more muted shades of
Tawny King blend well with the parchment colours of Stipa tenuifolia and Stipa
gigantica. The brilliant orange and apricot Bressingham Comet zings out in
the border, shouting for attention. It needs placing amongst equally exuberant
choristers such as Rudbeckia Goldsturm and
Helenium Köningstiger so that it
doesn't drown out all other voices in the border.
There are a number of warm orange-brown cultivars,
such as Gladness, Bees' Sunset and
Old Court Seedling - similar in colour but
flowering at different times. These shades work well with the wheaten or
brown shades of grasses such as Stipa gigantica and Carex buchananii.
However, for a bold contrast, try them with brilliant blues such as Salvia
patens or Scabiosa Stäfa.
Kniphofia make splendid cut flowers. They are long lasting in water and retain their colour well. Racemes cut at bud stage will open well but colours are often more subdued due to the low light levels.
Propagation
Kniphofia from seed:
Kniphofia can be grown from seed but named cultivars will not come true and should not be distributed under the parents' name. In fact from a single batch of seed will produce a wide variety of colours and sizes.
Species Kniphofia may come true, provided the parent plants were isolated from other species and cultivars. We find sowing seed in late winter with a little bottom heat results in good germination. Use fresh seed and do not cover, just press lightly into the surface. In our experience covered seed often fails to germinate. Prick out seedlings when large enough to handle being careful not to over pot.
Dividing Kniphofia:
Ease of division varies with type. Most Kniphofia form a rhizome-like rootstock. In varieties based on K.rooperii (e.g. C.M. Prichard) and K.uvaria this rootstock is big and very hard, making breaking off offsets very difficult leaving no choice but to cut through the rootstock to divide the plant.
Others (e.g. K.galpinii and K.triangularis based cultivars and species) the rootstock is horizontally longer and thinner allowing offsets to be broken off more easily with a good root system.
If you are dividing a pot-grown or border-grown specimens we find summer is a good time; avoid division when the weather is cold and wet. We have found that division in hot, dry weather (like this summer, 2006 in Britain) is very successful with plants forming new roots and growing away well within 2-3 weeks. If you have a greenhouse autumn or spring division is fine. You should also have reasonable results if you are dividing a large clump in spring and don't split it into too small pieces.
Plants from the border should be dug up - don't too much about breaking off long roots. They won't regrow, and we find that they will die anyway as the plant creates new root.
Firstly tease out as many of the roots as possible removing the old soil. You will probably find the thick, fleshy, orange or yellow roots, so try pulling these out gently, aiming to keep as much of the fine, white feeding roots as possible. We find it helps if you wash off as much of the soil as possible allowing good inspection of the rootstock, but take care not to snap off the very delicate new shoots and root buds that might be pushing through from the rhizome. Once the soil is off you can determine where to snap or cut the rootstock to create offsets with plenty of root. Some types, like Percy's Pride, easily separate into individual stems - indeed it is hard to replant these as a clump. To cut up a rhizome, we use a cheap, serrated bread knife to cut through the rootstock.
We have changed our mind about trying to root leaf rosettes. This does not seem to work unless there is at least some rhizome attached to the rosette.
With some types (e.g. K.linearifolia), if the main shoot is broken off of the rhizome many dormant buds will spring into life rapidly creating a bushy plant. If the weather conditions are good, the rhizome can be cut into sections each with at least one emerging bud.
Planting Kniphofia:
Replant or pot up divisions or pot grown plants taking care to work soil or compost around the roots leaving no air pockets. For potting we use a standard multiple purpose compost with a little added grit - this is fine provided you protect the pots from saturation in the winter. If replanting in ground, work in compost and whatever slow release fertiliser you like to use. Kniphofia are hungry feeders.
One of the questions we are often asked is "why have my pokers stopped flowering?". This is normally because they have exhausted the soil. Dig them up, divide and discard really old woody parts and refresh the soil before replanting.
Naming and Identification:
We make every effort to ensure that varieties are correctly named, however the naming of Kniphofia in horticulture is frankly a mess. Many cultivars are synonymous with each other and some suppliers tend to apply a name to any similarly coloured plant. This is not limited to small growers or the garden centre trade - we have seen common cultivars such as Tawny King masquerading as the rarer (and not at all similar) Bees' Sunset at RHS flower shows. The position with species Kniphofia is just as poor with hybrid seed circulating as true type and species frequently misnamed.
The situation is not helped by the gardening press and television, which seem happy to put any name to any Kniphofia.
If we are unsure or suspicious of the true identity of a plant we say so in the description!
