1. cultivars 295
Cultivars
In this chapter I focus on cultivars, including named selections of species that
have been in cultivation in the last 20 years. While around 1,000 cultivars of
Kniphofia have been named over the years (see Checklist of epithets, pp354–417,
for a complete list), only a small proportion of these are in cultivation today. The
starting point for the cultivars in this chapter is those that have appeared in the
RHS Plant Finder, which gives a good overview of cultivars available in the UK
and Europe. To this I have added some of the more significant cultivars that have
appeared beyond Europe, particularly in North America. I also hope that the
information I have provided on early and widely misidentified cultivars will
help correct some of the wrong attribution of their names.
Raiser and introducer
For each entry I have tried to give an indication of by whom and when the cultivar
was introduced, by citing a name and date. The names given are mostly for the
person who raised, or nursery that introduced, the plant. In some cases, where
information is lacking, it is simply the author of its first published mention.
The sequence of introduction can be complicated, often with different
individuals being involved in the initial cross, selection, licensing and
introduction. It has not been practical to cite every individual involved in bringing
a cultivar into existence. Therefore I have cited what I deem to be the most
significant agency, whether nursery or individual.
In the Checklist (pp354–417) I have tried to give more detailed information,
such as full names of persons and nursery locations. In some cases I will have
overlooked, or not been aware of, some people whose great efforts have been
credited to someone else, for which I apologise.
Date
The dates attributed to the cultivar are the earliest confirmed date for the cultivar
being in existence. The circumstance of the date will vary between the cultivars,
depending upon the information available. For example, it might be the date
it was hybridised, the date it was first listed in a nursery catalogue or other
publication, or the date that a patent or plant breeders’ rights was applied for.
The period between date of hybridising and date of availability to the public
can be as much as 10 years.
A selection of Kniphofia
cultivars from the
2007–09 RHS trial.
Photographed in
mid July, it shows
the diverse range
of colours available
at that time of year
Top row,
left to right
'Ample Dwarf',
'Jonathan',
'Dorset Sentry'
Middle row,
left to right
'Amsterdam',
'Moonstone', 'Tawny
King', 'Red Admiral',
'Apricot Sky',
'Jane Henry'
Bottom row,
left to right
'Bressingham Sunbeam',
'Timothy', 'Rich Echoes',
'Firefly', 'Minister
Verschuur',
'Safranvogel',
'Royal Standard'
2. 296 cultivars
At the Dell Garden in
Bressingham Gardens,
Norfolk, Kniphofia
‘Elvira’ makes a vibrant
patch of colour. This is
one of the longest
flowering cultivars
because the flowers lack
stamens and are sterile
cultivars 297
Flowering period
The flowering period given is for when individual flowers on the spikes are open.
Some cultivars are one-hit wonders; they produce a magnificent display with all
the flowers opening within a short space of time, but it is all over in a couple of
weeks. Kniphofia ‘Atlanta’ is a great example of this, heralding the start of the
poker flowering season in early June but then becoming a disappointing rosette
of leaves for the rest of the year. Many newer cultivars have been raised to try and
overcome this short season but there will often still be a peak, or possibly more
than one peak, with only the odd spike appearing in between.
Pinpointing flowering time is further complicated by plants often starting with
just a few flowers open on their spikes, so they will take a week or so before they
start to look good. The larger, taller spikes will also carry on opening flowers long
after they look their best. So, although the given flowering period may indicate
that the plant is still in flower in November, it probably was going past its best
in October. Brackets are used to indicate extremes of flowering times when
these are known.
Cultivars that flower very early or late in the season may be highly dependent
on frost; the buds may start to form but if frosted they will abort and there may be
no flowers that year at all. Some of the winter-flowering cultivars are only suitable
for frost-free zones, so although they might survive in colder climates they will
rarely flower in frost-prone areas.
Colour grouping
I have attempted to group the cultivars together by colour to help with
identification or selection for garden use. In a genus where colour variation is
almost continuous this is naturally going to be subjective. For example, placing
an orange-red cultivar in the orange-flowered or red-flowered section is
somewhat subjective. Therefore, the table (pp298–301) should be used to find a
cultivar if it does not appear under the expected colour section. Colour reference
codes (e.g. 154C) are derived from the RHS Colour Chart.
Seed strains and series, which all contain cultivars of different colours, are
included under Mixed colours at the end. However, the individual cultivars within
each series can be found under the relevant colour section.
Series are convenient marketing tools to group together similar cultivars. Usually
the cultivars involved will have originated from the same breeding programme,
but this does not have to be the case. A series name can just be a recognised stamp
of quality from a particular breeder, and any suitable cultivar could be included
within that series. Their usefulness in classification is limited, as cultivars within
a series can vary quite significantly in their attributes and garden worthiness.
I have described the four series that I am aware of as they contain cultivars that
are frequently encountered in nurseries and catalogues and they represent
significant breeding programmes.
Dimensions
For each cultivar I have given dimensions where possible. These are taken from
published descriptions, RHS trial records, and my own measurements. Since not
all published descriptions give all the dimensions, this information is missing in
some cases, and I have certainly not seen every cultivar in this chapter.
H = Height in cm
S = Size of flowerhead (length × diameter) in cm
L = Length of flower (corolla) in mm
F = Flowering period (1 = January, 12 = December)
Brackets are used to indicate extremes of a range.
Other characteristics
Some cultivars have particularly narrow leaves, less than 1cm wide, and I have
termed these ‘grass-leaved’ in the descriptions and table. This character is
favoured by some gardeners because the foliage is often neater.
Cultivars with the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) are indicated in the table
and descriptions, with hardiness rating. The AGM is given to plants considered
excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions. Kniphofias with the AGM
were revised in the 2007–09 RHS trial (Whitehouse 2010) and the award is
currently held by 23 cultivars and two species (K. northiae and K. rooperi).
3. cultivars 299298 cultivars
ColourofKniphofiacultivars,includingAGMand whethergrass-leaved AGM &
hardiness rating
Grass-leaved
‘Ada’ Uniform orange
‘Alcazar’ Uniform red or orange-red
‘Amazing Fun’ Orange or red, and white or cream
‘Ample Dwarf’ Yellow and white
‘Amsterdam’ Uniform red or orange-red
‘Apple Court’ Pink and white
‘Apricot Souffle’ Orange or red, and white or cream
‘Apricot’ Uniform orange
‘Apricots and Cream’ Orange or red, and white or cream
‘Atlanta’ (Tuckii Group) Orange or red, and white or cream
‘Banana Popsicle’ (Popsicle Series) Uniform yellow
‘Barbie’ Red or orange, and yellow
‘Barton Fever’ H6 Brownish orange and white
‘Bee’s Gold’ Uniform yellow
‘Bees’ Flame’ Uniform red or orange-red
‘Bees’ Jubilee’ Uniform orange
‘Bees’ Lemon’ Green and yellow
‘Bees’ Sunset’ H5 Uniform orange
‘Bicolor’ Orange or red, and white or cream
‘Bitter Chocolate’ Brownish orange and white
‘Bob’s Choice’ Uniform yellow
‘Border Ballet’ Mixed colours, Seed-raised cultivars
‘Bressingham Comet’ Red or orange, and yellow
‘Bressingham Gleam’ Uniform orange
‘Bressingham Sunbeam’ Uniform orange
‘Brimstone’ Bloom H5 Green and yellow
‘Bronze Torch’ Uniform yellow
‘Buttercup’ H5 Uniform yellow
‘C.M. Prichard’ Uniform yellow
‘Candlelight’ Uniform yellow
‘Carole’s Crush’ Uniform red or orange-red
‘Catherine’s Orange’ Uniform orange
K. caulescens ‘Coral Breakers’ Orange or red, and white or cream
K. caulescens ‘John May’ Red or orange, and yellow
K. caulescens ‘Oxford Blue’ Red or orange, and yellow
‘Chichi’ Uniform red or orange-red
‘Cobra’ Brownish orange and white
‘Coolknip’ Yellow and white
‘Coral Flame’ H5 Uniform red or orange-red
‘Coral Sceptre’ Uniform pink to pinkish orange
‘Creamsicle’ (Popsicle Series) Uniform orange
‘Dawn Sunkiss’ Pink and white
‘Dawn’ Pink and white
Cultivar
AGM
Colour
Grass-leaved
Cultivar
AGM
Colour
Grass-leaved
‘Dingaan’ Uniform yellow
‘Dorset Sentry’ Uniform yellow
‘Drummore Apricot’ Uniform orange
‘Early Buttercup’ Uniform yellow
‘Echo Duo’ (Echo Series) Brownish orange and white
‘Echo Mango’ (Echo Series) Uniform orange
‘Echo Rojo’ (Echo Series) Uniform red or orange-red
‘Elvira’ Uniform orange
Ember Glow (‘Tneg’) (Glow Series) Uniform orange
‘Erecta’ Uniform red or orange-red
‘Ernest Mitchell’ Uniform yellow
‘False Maid’ Uniform yellow
‘Feuerkerze’ Red or orange, and yellow
‘Fiery Fred’ H6 Uniform orange
‘Firefly’ Uniform orange
Fire Glow (‘Tnfg’) (Glow Series) Uniform red or orange-red
‘First Sunrise’ Uniform orange
‘Flamenco’ Mixed colours, Seed-raised cultivars
‘Frances Victoria’ Red or orange, and yellow
‘Gladness’ Uniform orange
Glaucescens Group Red or orange, and yellow
‘Goldelse’ Uniform yellow
‘Goldfinch’ Green and yellow
Grandiflora Group Red or orange, and yellow
‘Green Jade’ Green and white
‘H.E. Beale’ Uniform yellow
‘H.G. Mills’ Uniform red or orange-red
‘Hen and Chickens’ Brownish orange and white
K. hirsuta ‘Traffic Lights’ Red or orange, and yellow
‘Hollard’s Gold’ Red or orange, and yellow
‘Ice Queen’ Green and white
‘Incandesce’ H5 Uniform red or orange-red
‘Ingénue’ Pink and white
‘Innocence’ H4 Brownish orange and white
‘Jabulani’ Uniform yellow
‘Jane Henry’ Orange or red, and white or cream
‘Jenny Bloom’ Pink and white
‘Jess’s Delight’ Orange or red, and white or cream
‘John Benary’ Uniform red or orange-red
‘John’s Olympic Torch’ Brownish orange and white
‘Jonathan’ H5 Uniform red or orange-red
‘Lemon Ice’ Yellow and white
‘Lemon Popsicle’ (Popsicle Series) Uniform yellow
4. cultivars 303302 cultivars
Redororange,andyellow
K.caulescens
‘JohnMay’
With its broad leaves this is similar
to ‘Coral Breakers’, but it is later
flowering and has pinkish (179B)
buds and yellower flowers.
May, 1996
H 90–120 S: 22–24 × 7–8 L: 22–25
F: 9–11
K.caulescens
‘OxfordBlue’
With thick, procumbent stems,
this cultivar has striking blue-grey
foliage, actually closer to the
colour sometimes referred to as
Cambridge blue. The flowers are
a richer yellow and red than most
selections of K. caulescens.
It was collected from the wild in
the late 1960s by Burras and Vosa
(collection number B&V 67) and
was grown for many years at the
University of Oxford Botanic
Garden. It had been passed around
for decades, but its qualities were
subsequently recognised by
plantsman John Grimshaw and
it was recently named.
Desirable Plants, 2013
H: 120
‘Feuerkerze’
This is a hybrid between ‘Express’
and ‘The Cardinal’ that produces
flowerheads of red and yellow.
However, many recent references
wrongly state that it is uniformly
orange-red, as in the plant pictured.
Weinreich, 1951
H: 60–70 F: 7–9
‘BressinghamComet’
This is a fine, dwarf, grass-leaved
poker with bright reddish orange
(169A) pendulous buds opening to
yellow (5C) on small flowerheads.
For a grass-leaved poker it is
surprisingly tough and the colours
are bright enough to shine out even
though the flowerheads do not get
much above the leaves. This is
probably the most widely grown
of the dwarf pokers raised by
Alan Bloom that are still available.
Bloom, 1963
H: 60–80 S: 11–18 × 4 L: 25–30 F: 8–11
‘Barbie’
The most interesting feature of
this cultivar is that the flowers are
predominantly yellow but tipped
orange. Resembling ‘Nobilis’, it is
a tall cultivar with large rounded
flowerheads. It was originally listed
as ‘Olympic Torch’ but that name fell
foul of the over-zealous protection
of trademarks for the London 2012
Olympics.
Cotswold Garden Flowers, 2009
H: 170 F: 7–9
‘FrancesVictoria’
This very late-flowering poker
produces strong, narrow but dense
spikes of pale yellow (8C) flowers
from buds that start off greenish
(154C) but turn a warm orange
colour (31A).
In the 2007–09 RHS trial it was one
of the last in the season to produce
a flower display but consequently
stood out dramatically above the
sea of green leaves of all the other
cultivars in late October.
Cotswold Garden Flowers, 2000
H: 120–140 S: 17–21 × 4–5 L: 26–28
F: 10–11
5. cultivars 325324 cultivars
‘BronzeTorch’
This is immediately recognisable
from its well-spaced, spreading,
boat-shaped buds. These are bronzy
yellow (162A), maturing to a rather
dull, greenish yellow (15A). The buds,
which remain spreading throughout
the life of the flower, do not open
fully; only the style escapes from the
end and the flowers lack anthers.
Originally named ‘Torchlight’ by
its US raisers, it was accidentally
introduced to Europe as ‘Gilt Bronze’.
However, ‘Gilt Bronze’ is a cultivar
with dark, bronzed stems and pale
yellow flowers that open normally.
‘Torchlight’ is an unacceptable name
too, as it has been used twice before
for different cultivars. The name is
therefore changed here to ‘Bronze
Torch’, keeping elements of both
names under which it has been
known.
Morning Glory Farms, 1990
H: 80–100 S: 13–17 × 5–6 L: 20–25
F: 6–8(–10)
‘Buttercup’AGMH5
The flowers of this cultivar are
golden yellow (5C), tinged orange
(24A) in bud. Although popular in
the past, it has been superseded
by other all-yellow pokers such
as ‘Wrexham Buttercup’.
Prichard, 1923
H: 90–140 S: 12–16 × 5–6 L: 27–30 F: 7–9
‘Candlelight’
This dwarf, grass-leaved poker
produces clear yellow (1B) flower
heads, tinged with red-orange (30B)
in the uppermost buds. It should
not be confused with the US-raised
‘Candle Light’.
Bloom, 1975
H: 50–90 S: 9 × 3 L: 23–25 F: 6–9
Uniformyellow
‘Bob’sChoice’
This medium-sized poker has
flowers of uniform yellow (10A) from
greenish (151B) buds. In the 2007–09
RHS trial it flowered reliably twice
each year.
Cotswold Garden Flowers, 2006
H: 90–130 S: 9–23 × 5 L: 21–35
F: 6–7, 8–10
‘Bee’sGold’
A very tall cultivar, the flowerheads
are deep yellow. Despite its name,
this does not appear to be a Bees of
Chester introduction as it was never
listed in their catalogues. I have
therefore followed modern sources
in the placing of the apostrophe.
Rougham Hall Nurseries, 2005
H: 180 F: 7–8
‘BananaPopsicle’
(PopsicleSeries)
This dwarf, grass-leaved cultivar
has yellow buds with a hint of green
which open to golden yellow
flowers, darker than those of
‘Lemon Popsicle’.
Terra Nova Nurseries, 2015
H: 60 F: 7–10
6. 350 cultivars cultivars 351
Stark’searly
perpetual-flowering
hybrids
This strain was notable for flowering
in its second year from seed but
there is little else to distinguish it.
Stark, 1913
H: 40–150 F: 5–10
‘Goldfinch’Slieve
Donard
This is a medium-sized poker with
flowerheads of orange-tinted yellow
and greenish buds.
Although the name is predated by
‘Goldfinch’ of Krelage published in
1912, this Slieve Donard cultivar has
no alternative name.
Slieve Donard, 1950
H: 90–110 F: (6–)7–8(–9)
‘Limelight’
This cultivar has yellow flowers
emerging from green buds. It is
possible that more than one plant
has been offered under this name,
but recent ones I have seen
(pictured) have quite full
flowerheads above low, broad
leaves that are slightly twisted.
Norton Hall, 1971
H: 100–110 F: 7–8
‘Sally’sComet’
The flowers of this cultivar are
pure yellow, opening from rather
greenish buds.
Beal, 1999
H: 90 F: 6–7
Seed-raised
cultivars
Mixedcolours
‘RoyalCastle’
This strain gives rise to relatively
short plants with greyish green
leaves and flowers in the usual
shades of red, orange and yellow.
The foliage colour suggests it was
raised using plants of Tuckii Group.
Hudson, 1987
H: 60–150 S: 25
‘Flamenco’
This strain produces dwarf plants in
a range of colours that usually
flower in their first year.
Benary, 1998
H: 60–80 F: 6–9
‘BorderBallet’
This strain yields dwarf plants in
pastel colours but with the larger
flowerheads of taller cultivars.
Hurst Seeds, 1982
H: 45 S: 15–20 × 5–6 F: 6–9
Seed strains have been a feature
of Kniphofia breeding since the
early 20th century. Individual
plants raised from seed strains
may be offered by nurseries, or
sometimes customers can buy
the seed themselves from seed
merchants. The characteristics
of the strain, such as flower colour
(usually a range), height and
flowering time, are sometimes
defined by the breeder or retailer.
While buying the seed itself and
doing your own selection can be
of value, I see little point in buying
ready-grown plants from seed
strains rather than named, clonal
cultivars. You may get lucky, but
more likely not. If you do buy
individual plants it is best to obtain
them in flower so you can see
what you are getting, but even
then it is difficult to tell how the
plant will perform in the long term,
or how regularly or prolifically it
will flower.
The plants pictured on this page
are just examples of what you
might get from each strain. Other
strains not illustrated include
Bressingham hybrids, ‘Express’
and ‘Fairyland’.
7. 352 cultivars cultivars 353
Series
Mixedcolours
PopsicleSeries
This series arose from the same breeding programme
as the Glow Series. It shares the characters of Glow
Series in being grass-leaved, of short height (50–80cm)
and quick to flower from plugs. However, the cultivars
of Popsicle Series flower earlier in the season than the
Glow Series, from about June onwards. Its recent
introduction means that longevity in the garden is
untested, and other grass-leaved cultivars are often
short-lived. Nevertheless, the cultivars in the series
produce impressive displays of flowers.
‘Mango Popsicle’ and ‘Papaya Popsicle’ were selected
from the same cross that created the Glow Series. This
demonstrates the artificial nature of series names,
where closely related plants can be placed in different
series alongside plants from unrelated crosses.
Terra Nova Nurseries, 2011
‘Banana Popsicle’ – see under Uniform yellow
‘Creamsicle’ – see under Uniform orange
‘Lemon Popsicle’ – pictured above, see also under
Uniform yellow
‘Mango Popsicle’ – see under Uniform orange
‘Orange Vanilla Popsicle’ – see under Orange or red, and
white or cream
‘Papaya Popsicle’ – see under Red or orange, and yellow
‘Pineapple Popsicle’ – see under Yellow and white
‘Redhot Popsicle’ – see under Uniform red or orange-red
EchoSeries
This series arose from a breeding programme by
Richard G. Saul that aimed to produce plants with
unique flower colours, an early starting and long
flowering period, semi-evergreen foliage and strong,
upright stems. All members of the series start to flower
in late April and continue throughout the summer. They
have flowering stems about 100cm in height.
The current three constituents of the series are
reproduced vegetatively and were selected as single
seedlings from crosses in which ‘Candle Light’ was the
male parent. The female parent of ‘Echo Duo’ and ‘Echo
Rojo’ was ‘Firelight’ and the female parent of ‘Echo
Mango’ was ‘Apricot Surprise’.
Itsaul Plants, 2007
‘Echo Duo’ – see under Brownish orange and white
‘Echo Rojo’ – see under Uniform red or orange-red
‘Echo Mango’ – pictured above, see also under
Uniform orange
GlowSeries
This series was raised by Janet N. Egger with an aim
to produce compact, reblooming plants. The breeding
programme resulted in plants that put all their effort into
flowering in late summer; August through September
and even into October. They are compact, about 50cm
in height when in flower, grass-leaved, and quick to
flower from plugs.
The two cultivars in the series are reproduced
vegetatively and were selected from crosses between
unreleased cultivars designated ‘K10-1’ and ‘K10-2’. They
received their US plant patents under the names ‘Ember
Glow’ and ‘Fire Glow’. However, the EU PBR authorities
rejected the word ‘glow’, for a reason that is not clear, so
in Europe they are protected under code cultivar names,
‘Tneg’ and ‘Tnfg’ respectively, and their US cultivar
names have to be styled as trade designations.
Terra Nova Nurseries, 2011
‘Tneg’ Ember Glow – see under Uniform orange
‘Tnfg’ Fire Glow – pictured above, see also under
Uniform red or orange-red
PocoSeries
This series was raised by Janet N. Egger. The grass-
leaved cultivars are claimed to be shorter than those of
Glow Series and Popsicle Series, producing numerous,
relatively large flowerheads from July to October.
Terra Nova Nurseries, 2015
‘Poco Orange’ – pictured above, see also under
Uniform orange
‘Poco Red’ – see under Uniform red or orange red
‘Poco Yellow’ – see under Uniform yellow