Red-hot poker

Tall, dramatic red-hot pokers create architectural impact in sunny gardens. Their bold spikes of brilliantly colored tubular flowers are set among sword-shape leaves. Most varieties are hybrid selections. They need a humus-rich soil that is well-drained and light.

Light:

Sun,Part Sun

Zones:

5-9

Plant Type:

Perennial

Plant Height:

3-5 feet tall

Plant Width:

1-2 feet wide

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders

Special Features:

Flowers,Fall Color,Cut Flowers,Attracts Birds,Attracts Hummingbirds,Attracts Butterflies,Drought Tolerant,Deer Resistant

Top Varieties

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'Shenandoah' red-hot poker

Knifophia 'Shenandoah' produces thick, leafless stems topped with robust pokers that are yellow below and red on top. These appear in early summer. The deciduous triangular leaves are strap-shape. Zones 6-9
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'Shining Scepter' red-hot poker

Knifophia 'Shining Scepter' blooms in midsummer with tangerine yellow pokers on 3- to 4-foot stems. Zones 6-9
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Garden Plans

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Sunny Yellow Garden Plan
A Simple, Late-Summer Perennial Garden Plan
Soft Elegance Container Garden
Drought-Tolerant Garden Plan

Plant It With

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Helenium

In full sun positions, the yellow or bronzy daisy flowers of helenium provide a marked contrast to the vertical spires of red-hot poker.

Artemisia

In late summer and fall, the slender, airy flower spikes of white mugwort provide an informal foil for the somewhat-stiff red-hot pokers in sunny gardens.

Salvia

The loose habit and sky blue flowers of blue salvia provide informality and a color complement to late-summer- and fall-blooming red-hot pokers.

Propagation

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Seed
Division