KNIPHOFIA YELLOW FIRE RED HOT POKER

“KNIPHOFIA YELLOW FIRE” RED HOT POKER

• CATEGORY                                     KNIPHOFIA YELLOW FIRE
• VARIETY                                        “RED HOT POKER”
• DESCRIPTION                                BRIGHT YELLOW BLOOMS
• HEIGHT                                          120CM
• BLOOMS                                        SUMMER
• TYPE                                               BARE ROOT PERENNIAL
• SIZE                                                 GRADE 1
• QUANTITY PER UNIT                           1

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

THESE ARE BARE ROOT PERENNIAL PLANTS AND NOT FLIMSY PLUG PLANTS.

“KNIPHOFIA YELLOW FIRE IS EYE CATCHING AND PRODUCES TIGHTLY PACKED FLOWERHEADS IN GOLDEN YELLOW AND IS A SENSATION IN THE LATE SUMMER GARDEN. THIS SHOWY PERENNIAL ATTRACTS BEES AND BUTTERFLIES, BUT IS RARELY AFFECTED BY DEER OR RABBITS, SO IS PERFECT FOR BOTH CITY AND COUNTRY GARDENS. EMERGING FROM LIME-GREEN BUDS, THE BRIGHT YELLOW FLOWERS OPEN UPWARDS FROM THE BASE OF THE SPIKE OVER SEVERAL WEEKS SO THE DISPLAY IS RELATIVELY LONG-LIVED.

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, MORE LIKE AN ICE CREAM THAN A RED HOT POKER, PLANT THIS WITH HOT COLOURS LIKE ORANGE AND RED AS WELL AS CONTRASTING PURPLES.

“KNIPHOFIA” HAS RECEIVED THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT (AGM) WHICH IS FOR PLANTS OF OUTSTANDING EXCELLENCE.

IT FLOWERS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AND INTO SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER AND ON OCCASION EVEN LATER AND THE SCAPES CAN EVENTUALLY REACH UP TO 1.5 METRES. IT IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE OF ALL THE KNIPHOFIA.

IN AUTUMN REMOVE AND COMPOST THE FADED FLOWER SPIKES AND APPLY A DEEP DRY MULCH AROUND THE CROWN OF THE PLANT. DIVIDE AND RE-PLANT OVERCROWDED COLONIES IN SPRING.

CARE OF BARE ROOT PERENNIALS

REMOVE THE PLANT FROM ITS PACKAGING AND CAREFULLY REMOVE ALL LOOSE PACKING MATERIAL. SOAK THE ROOTS IN A BUCKET OF WARM WATER FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES. EXAMINE THE ROOT SYSTEM AND TRIM AWAY ANY ROTTED, MOULDY OR BROKEN ROOTS WITH A SHARP KNIFE. DIG A HOLE DEEP AND WIDE ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE ROOTS TO FAN OUT FROM THE CROWN AT ABOUT 45º ANGLE. IT SOMETIMES HELPS TO MAKE A CONE-SHAPED MOUND OF SOIL IN THE BOTTOM OF THE HOLE AND SPREAD THE ROOTS AROUND IT. REMEMBER THE CROWN OF MOST PERENNIALS SHOULD BE ROUGHLY LEVEL WITH THE SURROUNDING GROUND. COVER THE ROOTS WITH SOIL AND PRESS DOWN FIRMLY.MAKE SURE ALL THE ROOTS-ESPECIALLY THOSE UNDER THE CROWN-ARE IN CONTACT WIH THE SOIL. WATER THE PLANT WELL AND ADD A LAYER OF MULCH (SOIL COVERING)