Kniphofia Red/Gold
Notify MeThe two-tone poker is the one most people picture: coral-red buds packed at the top of the spike, opening to golden yellow from the bottom up, so a single stem carries red above and gold below for weeks. This is the classic Kniphofia uvaria colouring. Broad grey-green strappy leaves make a substantial fan underneath. Spikes open from December and keep coming into March.
Height and strong colour make this a plant for the back of a sunny border, or a bold group in a gravel or coastal garden where it can be seen from a distance. It stands up well to wind and salt air. Nectar feeders visit the spikes daily while they are open, and the stems last a long time cut.
Choose the driest, sunniest position available and make sure water moves away from the crown. The fleshy roots hold moisture through summer and rot in a cold wet winter, which is the difference between a clump that lasts twenty years and one that vanishes in its second. Allow 50 cm between plants and divide in spring only when flowering drops off.
Grows 1 to 1.2 m tall in flower with a leaf fan around 0.6 to 0.8 m across.
Trimming: Cut spent spikes right down to the base of the stem as each finishes. Remove browned outer leaves by hand as they appear, and clear the clump properly at the end of winter before new leaves push through.
Deadheading: Take each spike off as its last flowers brown. On a bicolour the spent flowers dull the effect of the ones still opening, so it makes a visible difference.
Fertilising: Feed once with a general fertiliser as growth starts. Pokers of this size look as though they should be hungry and are not, and overfeeding gives you leaf rather than spikes.
Watering: Regular water through the first summer, then nothing beyond rainfall in most districts. Standing water at any time of year is the thing to avoid.
Pest Control: New spikes get grazed as they push up, which spoils them before they open. Aphids and occasional thrips affect the flowers without doing lasting harm.
Disease Management: Crown rot from winter wet is the main killer, so plant high where drainage is doubtful. Leaf spot appears on the foliage in humid spells and is best managed by removing the worst leaves and keeping clumps open.
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.
