Kniphofia

Our own hybrid introduction which we have trialed for 10 years before releasing a few. A very long bloom period from mid summer into fall. Narrow foliage supports 3'+ stems of rich burnt orange with the individual flowers glistening as if lacquered. Attribution to everyone's favorite 1978 Captain Beefheart album Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller). A Far Reaches exclusive which we think is damned good.

The penultimate Poker in our opinion at this particular moment. Tall wands of orange tubular flowers well spaced on the stem echo images of Aloes in Southern California. These 5'-6' flower stems start in July and continue right up until frost. This is a sterile form so it sets little or no seed and since it never manages to consummate the procreational act, it keeps trying. Personally I am in awe of its stamina. A good spreader which quickly makes a clump. The leaves are much shorter than the flower stems and thin-bladed as well as being deciduous at least in our climate. This may not be as hardy as some other species but is worth every effort to make happy. We mulch ours for the winter and that seems to meet its needs. This triploid form was recently given the clonal name 'Stern's Trip'.

These serve a lot of great purposes in a Kniphofia collection or general plant collection with structural grass-like foliage and bright impactful late-season flowers which ascend lance-like in late summer to fall when most of it's flaming brethren have have lowered their spears, which also means extra nectar supply in the lean season for your pollinator population. In addition to being a late bloomer the species is relatively dwarf and offer nicely gradient-ed orangey yellow flowers. Good intro poker before getting into the more unwieldy but epic larger species.

Collected in Africa and named by plantsman John Grimshaw, this is likely the first offering in the US of this selection which we brought back from Michael Wickenden's Cally Gardens in Scotland. Muted orange buds open to muffled yellow-apricot flowers that are not strident but mingles well. 

Our mama plants were collected by Panayoti Kelaidis of the Denver Botanic Garden and it is truly one of the finest Red Hot Pokers. If we had to choose just one Poker, this would be among the ten or 15 we would have to have. Stout gray-green leaves and chunky often reblooming salmon and yellow flowers. The leaves gives this a bold look which is perfect in those gardens wanting a tropical feel. One thing that we really like about this is that it is a deciduous species so a quick cutback and you are good to go in the spring. Panayoti remembers the plants in the wild being a solid color so the bicolor is curious. The seedlings come true so it is one of those things that makes plants interesting.

Crazy species which we coveted at Windcliff and Duane West dug us up a nice chunk - with permission from Dan of course. Weird brown flowers are scented. Differs from the related K. typhoides by having strongly keeled leaves in a non-distichous arrangement. Cool in a nerdy way.

Perhaps the most architectural of all the Kniphofia, this, with its broad leaves up to 6" wide at the base, makes an impressive statement. This is one of those genus-expansive plants incorporating characteristics of Aloe or Yucca. Pinkish-red buds open to light yellow flowers on this very cold hardy and wet tolerant species.

This is a treasure among Pokers. A small statured species with big time bloom from South Africa introduced to the NW by one of the finest small nurseries in the country, Hedgerows Nursery in OR who have now retired and we are diminished as a result. David and Susie grew exceptional plants nearly perfectly and their level of excellence is what we gauge ourselves against. Of course David cheated with that damned English accent. Back to the plant under discussion -this Kniphofia doesn't know the word quit and after a main heavy spring bloom keeps throwing up flowers spikes sporadically throughout the season given ample water and food. This was a rare plant in just a few localities near Durban in South Africa and is now thought to be extirpated in the wild. Not as hardy as some, this benefits from a good mulch if temps drop into the teens in which case it is happy as a clam.