Red-hot Poker

Kniphofia!

I've wanted some of these in my own garden for more than 70 years. I used to like them when I was about three-years old: we saw displays in public gardens I was taken to. They have the air of rather old-fashioned plants...

We've tried to grow them before, but never had any success. These are in our small front border. We put them in two years ago, but nothing seemed to happen, and I thought that we must have bought duds (I have to admit that they came from a "Pound Shop"!). Last year, some leaves appeared, rather sparse, but nothing else happened. Same again this year, we thought, but with rather more substantial leaves. Then, to our amazement, a couple of these flower heads shot up quite suddenly. A bit phallic, perhaps? They aren't the largest or most spectacular or most densely prolific flowers that I have ever seen, but at least they are OURS!

There remain some of the plants that have made leaves, but no flowers, yet. Next year, perhaps.