.png) Kniphofia sarmentosa $10.95
- common names: red-hot poker, torch lily
- flowering season: December, January and February
- height: 18 to 24 inches
- Light requirements: full sun, half a day of sun will do; in hot climates partial shade is recommended
- Soil requirements: average to rich and well drained
- Water requirements: will survive in a dry landscape although it will grow better and flower more profusely with regular watering during summer
- Growth habit: does not grow as a tight clump but instead has a creeping rootstock
- How to propagate: divide in spring or early summer
- Leaf type: bluish upright leaves
- special characteristics: attractive, glaucous leaves; smaller flowerheads on top of dark stems
Truly winter flowering here, this plant was brought back from a winter's trip to San Francisco during the 1990's, where it was flowering in January and February alongside aloes blooming at the same season with similar-looking flowers. Our winters are colder than San Francisco's so the flowers will not last very long. With luck there will be enough warmth during January to enjoy them. More than a degree or two below freezing will kill the flower buds, and another year has to pass before gambling again on their flowering. Plants in the ground have survived well with temperatures down to +6°F. It is best grown where winters are mild, such as the Deep South or California. Plants spread by runners, which is characteristic of only a few torch lilies. Another one that spreads this way is the species thomsonii subsp. thomsonii that we also offer on this website. |
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