Introduction

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Kniphofia (family Xanthorrhoeaceae), commonly known as red hot poker, originate from Africa. Kniphofia are fast growing perennials that prefer full sun and well-draining soil. The showy flowers attract birds and last for a long time which makes them a popular garden plant for New Zealand gardens.

The aim of this trial was to identify the top performing Kniphofia species or cultivars for Auckland conditions. These would also be added to the African Garden at Auckland Botanic Gardens. The key objective was to identify long flowering Kniphofia with clean foliage that are relatively resistant to snail and thrip damage and black spot.

Methods

Red Hot Poker collection. Box lots of 12 strong plants in 1.5 litre hard pots. Your choice of these four varieties. Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofias) are available year round. $144/box + freight. Freight $12/box South Island, $22/box North. If you are on a Rural Delivery please add a further $5 for an RD sticker. These plants are being sold at a heavily discounted rate. And the home gardener ph 021-120-3318 new zealand, e mail da.la@xtra.co.nz. Red hot poker plants. Kniphofia (family Xanthorrhoeaceae), commonly known as red hot poker, originate from Africa. Kniphofia are fast growing perennials that prefer full sun and well-draining soil. The showy flowers attract birds and last for a long time which makes them a popular garden plant for New Zealand gardens. Strong growing perennial. Flowering in Spring/Summer. Best in a sunny site, hardy to dry and cold. Kniphofia might have had a better lot in the life of NZ gardens if we called them by some of their other common names. Knofflers sound so much more whimsical, torch lilies more exotic but alas we usually refer to them as the less attractive hot pokers and treat them as low grade roadside plants. Plants for sale, New Zealand - TradeMe.co.nz. Satellite sites. Dwarf red hot poker Kniphofia gracilis 60cm plant $10.00.

Kniphofia were planted 26th November 2013. Several additions to this trial were planted in autumn 2014. Kniphofia require plenty of space and were 40 cm apart. All twenty-one Kniphofia cultivars were represented by three individuals, but only one each of the five Kniphofia species were planted.

Plants were grown in full sun, bark mulch and no fertiliser was applied at time of planting. Management of plants during the trial included one late winter cut back of two out of three of the cultivars, leaving the third plant as a comparison for their growth response following the cut back (mid-August 2014). Deadheading occurred only when seeds turned brown.

Plants were assessed quarterly during flowering for pest and disease, specifically snail and thrip damage and black ink spot (Fig 1). Flowering was recorded weekly for development of buds, flowers and seeds. Overall size of the plant was measured for across the widest part of the foliage of all three plants then averaged. We also measured foliage height (cm) from the base of plant to highest point of foliage three plants then averaged. External evaluations were conducted in December 2014 and March 2016. This trial ran for three years and concluded at the end of July 2016.

Figure 1 Black ink spot on foliage of Kniphofia infecting foliage and stems

Results and conclusions

From this trial, five cultivars were assessed as star performers by scoring an 8 or higher on the ABG rating system which is the threshold above which we recommend to Auckland gardeners (Table 1). They had long flowering periods and were relatively pest and disease free. Species were included in this trial as a comparison with commercially available cultivars. Their performance was variable although some scored a high rating. They are excluded from our list of recommendations as they are not generally commercially available. Star performers and species are now displayed in the ABG African Garden. All cultivars recommend are commercially available. Four cultivars in this trial (K. ‘Ernest Mitchell’, K. ‘Winter Cheer’, K. ‘Shining Sceptre’ and K. ‘Pineapple Popsicle’) scored very highly in all categories but because they scored more than 25% black ink spot their overall rating was dropped.

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Kniphofia caulescens died early on in this trial, therefore no flowering records and plant size data is reported here. K. ‘Peachy Cheeks’ supplied might not have been correctly named as flowers were yellow rather than peach. Plants of K. ‘Green Jade’ did not do well with two plants dying before the end of the trial and not flowering.

Snail damage was noticed in mid-October on almost all cultivars but plants quickly recovered from damage. Kniphofia were relatively tolerant of frost, and many are deciduous. All Kniphofia in this trial had signs of black ink spot at some stage during the trial. Most Kniphofia in this trial had less than 25% of the plant affected by black ink spot (Fig 2).

Figure 2 Average percentages of black ink spot (2015-2016) on Kniphofia in ABG trial

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Kniphofia are renowned for crossing and seeding out in gardens, therefore we recommend deadheading regularly after flowering but before seeds ripen. We pruned plants back in mid-winter and they grew back well. A late prune results in reduced flowering however this promotes healthy, clean foliage.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our external experts for helping evaluate this trial.

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This article cannot be republished elsewhere without consent from Auckland Botanic Gardens.