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Features
Long leaves froth out from the central clump, while erect stems appear in summer tipped with dense spikes of deep yellow, tubular flowers.
What to use it for
Great in the middle of borders, particularly those with a hot colour scheme, where they will shoot up like fireworks. Can be used in cottage-style gardens or more urban designs and makes good cut flowers. They will suit mediterranean, gravel or coastal gardens and are low maintenance plants. They can also benefit wildlife as bees enjoy their nectar and some birds feed on their pollen.
How to look after it
When planting, dig humus into the soil to enrich it. An organic mulch applied each autumn would benefit the plant.
Once planted, except for minimal pruning, these plants are relatively low maintenance. However, you should ensure that they are watered in dry spells as they prefer a moist (albeit well drained) soil.
How to prune it
Prune out any flowered stems from the base. You can also remove any tatty or dead leaves.
How to propagate it
Clumps can be divided in mid to late spring. Large sections can be immediately re-planted, but smaller sections should be potted up and grown on for a year before planting out.
Seeds can be collected in autumn (cultivars may not come true from seed) and sown in spring at 15°C.
Common problems
May be attacked by slugs, snails or thrips. Violet root rot also occasionally affects Kniphofia.
If the plant isn’t flowering well, it may be that it is not getting enough sun and/or that the soil around it has been allowed to dry out.
Other useful information
The genus Kniphofia is named after Johann H. Kniphof (1704–1763), a German botanist.
This plant was developed by Sunningdale Nurseries in 1968 and has been given the Award of Garden Merit by the RHS.
