I was wondering (i am always doing that aren't I ) about some thoughts on red hot pokers. Mine that I have is an older plant,sending lots of runners for the first time, this is also the first I have had that has gotten this mature,The plant is beyond it rated zone(it survived extended periods of time well below freezing) and beyond the rated life span. It changed from standard tri-color bloom to ice type bloom during this time span.I have never had the or seen the foliage standing upright in all that time and the soil is almost jungle like that it is growing in after all the cultivation. I believe it to be one of the Uvaria var.
Share some thoughts or experiences anyone?
kniphofia
Any pictures?
I'm curious too.
Anderson, IN
(Zone 6b)
October 5, 2012
02:06 PM
Post #9296656
Edit
Quote
Not a good one me being me, cannot see straight through a lens and have nothing to use that has auto focus,lol This is the second smaller bloom with a larger bloom stem ,the was knocked down in one of only three?storms this summer. Middle of pic ,or nearly.
SECOND TRY!!
WELL phoooey #3
Okay I should give up ,like kc at bat, but being OCD I just had too!! Those previous I had to copy from previous threads from this site .The site does co-operate well when when you copy photos from threads you all know why. the dell crashed where I kept my photos and the save disc will not play on this acer I am using.
So from the chain cam this is the plant and starts in winter bags. The plant stays evergreen in milder winters
The color is nearer most that are a zone 7 to 9 and the the blooms a little larger to the eye than he pic suggests.And as before this has been and is a 5 to 6 zone.
If it is K. uvaria as you suspect, it should be hardy in your area. If you look at the varieties of that species that are listed in PF, they're listed as zone 5/6 http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=kniphofia&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=uvaria&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
I posted earlier but it didn't take, I guess. LOL
I have K. uvaria 'Royal Castle' and it does just fine, although, I do have it it some shade. I've been thinking about dividing it and placing some it full all day sun and see what happens.
I will work with this plant a while, I like the blooms, the way the roots grow ,I even enjoy the grassy look when it is growing,One day I might give K triangafollus? a try ,a zone 4 hardiness, It is the first in daves plant files and a mostly red,looks to be a pretty plant.
They are pretty. Good luck.
I could use the luck as to plants, and posting myself, Do yours look like the pics in the files, I rarely do,lol Thinking the same for next season about trying the ones I have in more sun.(some of the runner starts)
Here is a link to the one I have.
http://allthingsplants.com/plants/view/125364/Red-Hot-Poker-Kniphofia-uvaria-Royal-Castle/
About the nearest to mine as far as bloom color in the files is really Tetbury torch on page 3 An all yellow-orange uvaria with a white outer tinge it what mine seems to be
Pretty plant when they look the part!!.
I've had Kniphofia 'Royal Castle' come through a winter here in zone 3 and bloom the following year. They are certainly only marginally-hardy here - just an novelty or experiment - but this suggests they are hardier than zone ratings claim... which is not at all unusual!
'Royal Castle' seems to be a hybrid of K. uvaria, which is said to be one of the hardier species. Rix and Phillips in Perennials say that K. caulescens is the hardiest ("to -20 degrees C"). Given that it's native range includes the higher parts of the Drakensberg alpine area (to 3000m elevation), this seems to make sense. The ranges of some of the other species are lower elevations or coastal.
That is interesting ,I will be certain to read some more abut them, Seems when I thought I knew some thing about a plant, it (what I knew) always changes sooner or later.
Have had Banana Lived three years then drowned. Flood and weird weather caused root rot
Centaurea ; Lived six years or so.
Some Bamboo and willows, willows are super easy to grow pole to pole , the bamboo a little different
There are a few other flowers the Pentsemon the Agastache and Salvia, of course these are more popular so there are many more cultivars coming along an being developed,
I have always had an affinity for grassy looking flowers and the grasses myself , just one of those things. Of course not all that many garden cultivars are zone rated for here as to the grasses ,only the zone rating keeps sneaking higher and some will grow here anyway if given time time to establish .
The Kniphofia seem stay a novelty ,it has always been.
Here are some newer varieties of Red Hot Poker plants, http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/ProductCart/pc/Potted-Kniphofia-Plants-for-Sale-c772.htm Looks like they grow in zones 5-9.
The one I have resembles the popsicle from that page, might try a few more though. Thank you for the link, useful info always comes in handy!
As before the blooms variate on mine and I have been giving thought to trying a flamenco or two, only here they need the warm weather and a few months to establish ,When I have time to take care of them for a few months and I get to it I probably will ,A plant hog is me!lol .