Kniphofia ‘Poco Red’

A popular plant on our Thurning ground, ‘Poco Red’ is a more compact variety of Red Hot Poker. It produces a succession of brilliant coral-red, torch-like flowers from mid-summer right into the autumn, held on sturdy stems above the leaves. The nectar-rich flowers are a favourite with bees and other pollinators.

This is a clump-forming perennial with upright, grassy green leaves. It’s a compact grower, reaching about 50cm in height and 40cm across. It needs a spot in full sun to flower its best, in well-drained soil that doesn’t get waterlogged in winter. It will tolerate a bit of shade, but you’ll get fewer flowers.

Once it’s settled in, ‘Poco Red’ is impressively drought-tolerant. To keep the flowers coming, you can remove the spent flower spikes. It’s a brilliant plant for adding a vertical accent to borders and works especially well in gravel gardens or pots, where its exotic shape can be appreciated.