Kniphofia Peach
Soft peach is a long way from the traffic-light orange most people expect of a red hot poker, and it makes the plant far easier to use. The spikes are tall and tapered, packed with narrow tubular flowers that open cream at the base of the spike while the unopened buds above stay apricot, so each stem carries two tones. Strappy grey-green leaves arch out below. The spikes come from December through to March.
The muted colouring lets a poker sit in planting where a hot orange would shout. It works towards the back of a mixed border, in a coastal or gravel garden, and among grasses and bronze foliage where the peach picks up warm tones. Tui and bellbirds work the spikes, and the stems are dramatic cut.
Give it an open position in full sun with sharp drainage. The thick fleshy roots need air and will rot if they spend winter in cold wet clay, so add grit before planting or build the bed up. Drought is no problem once the plant is settled. Leave half a metre between plants, and lift and divide in spring if a clump stops flowering.
Reaches around 0.9 to 1.2 m in flower with a fan of foliage 0.6 m across.
Trimming: Take spent spikes off at the base as they finish. Strip the dead outer leaves away by hand rather than cutting across the fan, which spoils the shape. Clean the clump up at the end of winter.
Deadheading: Cut each spike out as the last flowers on it brown off. On a pale cultivar the fading flowers show more than they would on a red one, so this is worth keeping on top of.
Fertilising: Scatter a general fertiliser around the clump as new growth appears in spring. One feed carries the season, and pokers do not want rich conditions.
Watering: Keep it watered through its first summer only. Established plants handle long dry spells and reflected heat off paving without complaint.
Pest Control: Emerging spring spikes are the target for slugs and snails, and damage then shows all season. Aphids occasionally cluster on the flowering stem.
Disease Management: Wet winter ground brings on crown and root rot, which is the usual cause of losses. Black ink spot and other leaf spotting mark the foliage in humid weather and affected leaves should be removed.
Enjoy complimentary delivery anywhere in mainland New Zealand when you purchase plants worth $250 or more*.
For orders below $250, the following flat-rate delivery charges are applicable:
- Urban delivery within mainland New Zealand: $19.95
- Rural delivery within mainland New Zealand: $39.95
- Waiheke, Chatham and Great Barrier Islands: Please contact us for shipping options.
We aim to have all orders shipped within 14 days from the order date, unless a different shipping date is specified alongside a product.
