Sunshine from the earth

A beautiful sunny looking plant to brighten up a gloomy morning.
Common name Red-hot poker
Latin name Kniphofia
Group Perennial
Flowering time March to November
Planting time March and April
Height and spread 20-210cm (8in to 6½ft) and 20-100cm (8in to 3ft)
Aspect Sun
Hardiness Hardy to half-hardy
Difficulty Easy

Cultivation notes
Red-hot pokers make rewarding and often long-lived garden plants. Their distinctively-shaped blooms are among the most spectacular of hardy flowers, and their long season means that by careful plant choice gardeners can enjoy them between spring and late autumn.
Recent breeding work means there is a larger range and improved colours available to gardeners, with smaller habits and neater foliage. Colours range from red and orange through yellow to green and even brown and pink.
Planting in borders and containers
Kniphofias are generally easy to grow given the right conditions. For optimum performance choose a spot in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil that isn’t too wet over winter. Smaller, narrow-leaved cultivars such as ‘Bees' Sunset’ are easier to combine with other plants than the larger sorts, and grow well in pots and containers.
Aftercare
To help keep your red-hot pokers healthy;
* Tidy plants in mid spring
* Water container-grown plants regularly over the summer
* Deadhead after flowering