How2Day: Kniphofia Plants for California

Kniphofia flowers look like giant, blazing matchsticks or pokers just pulled from fireplace flames. That is why the most familiar kind, Kniphofia uvaria, is commonly known as red-hot poker or torch lily. The Pacific Bulb Society says that they come from Africa, Madagascar and Yemen. Named for Johannes Hieronymus Kniphof, an 18th century German professor of medicine, Kniphofias have a history of medicinal use. They grow well in California and, depending on the variety, are hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 5 to 10.

Kniphofia uvaria rises up out of clumps of long, thin leaves and has thick rhizomes with fleshy roots. Kniphofias come in many colors, whereas uvaria is predominantly flame-colored. Its spikes grow up to 5 feet tall. The Pacific Bulb Society notes that it prefers wet places, such as marshes, and flowers in spring.

Kniphofia rooperi, also called East Cape poker, has a more compressed, triangular blossom head. The Pacific Bulb Society describes its variegated colors graduating from cream to orange to green at the top. East Cape poker originated in the mild coastal area of eastern South Africa and requires a warmer, Mediterranean-type climate due to blossoming in winter. The Pacific Bulb Society recommends dividing the rhizomes every 4 to 5 years.

Alpine poker, or Kniphofia thomsonii, is the only variety of the species that grows above tree line. At its website, San Marco Growers note that Alpine Poker can be found up to 13,000 feet on Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. Although it grows to a height of 3 feet in the wild, a height of 5 feet is possible in cultivation. Alpine poker prefers damp soil, but tolerates dry conditions.

Christmas cheer is another Kniphofia that blossoms in the winter. San Marcos Growers notes it is unique, because it also blooms in autumn. It advises planting Christmas cheer in full sun and watering it "very little" in coastal gardens. At a University of British Columbia botany website featuring a close-up of the flower, one fan described its coral-to-yellow blossom head as looking "lit up" on a foggy morning in California.

Although the Kniphofia border ballet's petals come in creams and other pale pastels, it still has the Kniphofia family's typical torch-shaped blossom head. Border ballet's foliage is more narrow than some Kniphorias, according to the Pacific Bulb Society. The Big Dipper Farm, located in Washington, reports it makes an "excellent cut flower" and will blossom if dead blooms are removed.

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