Kniphofia uvaria seed
LATIN NAME: Kniphofia uvaria
COMMON NAME: Red Hot Poker
From a distance the red hot poker looks exactly like what its name says: a long, glowing torch held up on a tall stem. The red hot poker grows as a clump-forming, evergreen perennial, with the dense tufts of the narrow, arching, grey-green leaves and, through the summer, the tall, upright stalks that rise well above the foliage and carry the dense, cylindrical heads of the many small, tubular flowers, opening from the warm red and orange at the top down to the yellow at the base, so the whole head looks like a flame. It is a plant of the high, grassy slopes of the south of Africa, and it is known as the red hot poker.
The red hot poker belongs to the asphodel family, Asphodelaceae, and it is a clump-forming, evergreen perennial of the high, grassy slopes of the south of Africa. Its tall, cylindrical heads of the red-orange to yellow, tubular flowers are its great show. It is known as the red hot poker, and it is treasured for its flaming summer flower spikes.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The red hot poker has been studied in the horticulture for its bold, torch-like flowers and its tough, easy ways, and plant scientists have examined the dense, cylindrical heads of the tubular flowers and their place among the relatives of the asphodel family. The plant has been written about in the horticultural papers as a fine, striking perennial of the summer border, and the breeding has produced the broad range of the warm shades and the neat, compact forms. The dense heads of the tubular flowers have been looked at for the nectar they hold for the birds and the insects of the summer, and the plant’s tough, clumping growth has been of interest in the garden. For a flower of the summer border with such a bold and flaming face, the red hot poker has a steady and growing record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
For the summer border, the red hot poker is a bold, striking perennial. Its tall, cylindrical heads of the red-orange to yellow, tubular flowers rise above the tufts of the arching leaves through the summer, and they pull in the hummingbirds, the butterflies and the bees of the season. The clumps of the narrow, grey-green leaves give a fine, full look to the border through the year, and the plant is a tough, easy grower of the open, sunny, well-drained ground. For a gardener of the sunny border who wants a flower with a bold, flaming presence, the red hot poker is a fine choice.
The red hot poker comes from the high, grassy slopes of the south of Africa, and it has been carried to the gardens of the temperate world for its bold, torch-like flowers. The breeding has produced the broad range of the warm shades and the neat, compact forms, and the dense, cylindrical heads of the tubular flowers rise above the tufts of the arching, grey-green leaves through the summer. The heads pull in the hummingbirds, the butterflies and the bees of the season, and the plant is a tough, easy grower of the open, sunny, well-drained ground. It is a bold, striking perennial of the summer border.
Scatter the fine seeds over the surface of pots of gritty, moist, free-draining soil and press them in without covering them, since they like a little light, keep the pots in a bright, open, cool spot and water them gently, and the first green seedlings will appear before long.
Red Hot Poker Kniphofia Uvaria Royal Castle Hybrids is an impressive perennial native to the high grassy slopes of South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains. Red Hot Poker seeds can be started indoors, and the seedling can be transplanted outdoors after last frost. Also called Torch Lily and Tritoma, Kniphofia Uvaria Royal Castle Hybrids plant has sword-shaped leaves, tall stems, and unique flowers that have colors changing white to yellow then orange and finally red, and all colors can appear at once because 2 or 3 flowers can develop on a single bloom stalk. The tubular flowers of Red Hot Poker are very attractive to hummingbirds.
Red Hot Poker looks its best when grown in clumps or planted with daylilies or echinops, and its stately flowers provide a dramatic display, when grown in a space where the entire plant is visible. Torch Lily looks fabulous when are planted directly in front of an evergreen background, or as a stand alone specimen, it is sure to turn heads. Uvaria Royal Castle Hybrids seeds are easy to grow, but the seeds need a cold treatment, so they have to be kept in a refrigerator rolled in the dump paper towel inside the plastic ziploc bag for 4 weeks prior sowing. The established Red Hot Poker is drought and heat tolerant.
PLANT PROFILE
Season: Perennial
Height: 36-40 Inches
Bloom Season: Summer/Fall
Environment: Sun
Soil Type: Rich/Average/Poor/Moist well-drained, pH 5.8-7.0
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
Sow Indoors: Winter/Spring (6-8 weeks before last frost)
Sow Outdoors: Spring
Seed Depth: 1/16 Inch
Germination Time: 21-28 Days