Kniphofia Magical® Snow Torch - Red-hot poker

Kniphofia ‘Kolmasnoto’ Magical® Snow Torch is a luminous torch lily with tight, ivory-white spikes, topped with a small green tip, which brings freshness to flower beds. It is not very tall, but it offers a prolonged and regular summer flowering. This very hardy perennial can be used in sunny borders and containers, including in coastal gardens. Its stems can also be cut to create original cut flower arrangements, which last several days in a vase.

This Kniphofia belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. The botanical species, Kniphofia uvaria, is known by the names torch lily, red-hot poker, long-spiked red-hot poker, or false aloe. This cultivar bears the official name Kniphofia ‘Kolmasnoto’. Magical® Snow Torch is its protected commercial name. The Kniphofia genus is native to southern Africa, particularly the Cape provinces in South Africa. There are many species throughout southern and eastern Africa, some reaching Madagascar and Yemen.

Kniphofia Magical Snow Torch is a rhizomatous perennial that forms a dense clump of basal leaves. Its deciduous foliage is formed of long, linear, and flexible, bright green leaves, with parallel veins, upright then slightly arched. At maturity, the clump reaches 50 to 60 cm in height and 40 to 50 cm in width. Its growth is moderate: the plant takes two to three years to reach its full potential. The flower stems emerge above the foliage and bear tight spike inflorescences, 15 to 20 cm long, and 3 to 5 cm in diameter. The tubular, 2.5 to 3 cm long flowers are slender and pendulous. They are a very pure, uniform white. The top of the spike is slightly greenish at the start of flowering. Flowering renews itself from June to October if faded stems are removed, with a peak in midsummer. The nectar-rich flowers are frequently visited by pollinating insects.
Selected in the Netherlands by the breeder Kolster, in Boskoop, Kniphofia ‘Kolmasnoto’ is part of the Magical® Plants & Flowers range, known for its hardy, reliable, and very floriferous varieties, often also intended for cut flowers.

The Magical Snow Torch red-hot poker is at its best in a sunny flower bed, where one wishes to bring light without too much height. It suits contemporary or exotic settings and containers placed near the house. Its small white torches are beautiful, especially in the late afternoon. It can be paired with other pastel kniphofias, such as ‘Little Maid’ or ‘Ice Queen’, to stay within shades of cream and soft green. Low grasses such as Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Piglet' bring the movement it may lack. In a white and green setting, it pairs well with the large daisies of Echinacea ‘Purity’.

A historical nod: the Kniphofia genus is named for the German physician and botanist Johann Hieronymus Kniphof, author of a famous herbarium in the 18th century.