Kniphofia Traffic Lights - Red Hot Poker

Kniphofia 'Traffic Lights' is a hybrid variety of tritoma or False Aloe. This small red-hot poker produces an abundance of tricolour flowering spikes from late summer to autumn. The flowering is in shades of red, orange, and green. It is an excellent perennial plant for borders. It is hardy, water-efficient, and cheerful. Plant in full sun, in well-drained soil.

Kniphofia hirsuta 'Traffic Lights' belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. The wild species K. hirsuta is native to the Drakensberg, a mountain range in South Africa as well as Lesotho and Eswatini. In nature, this plant grows on rocky slopes or by streams, up to 2900m (9514ft) altitude. The 'Traffic Lights' variety is a perennial with fleshy rhizomes. It forms a compact, slightly tousled clump, with tough ribbon-like leaves, with parallel veins, reaching 35 to 40cm (14 to 16in) in flower height and 30 to 35cm (12 to 14in) in width. The flowering period is long, occurring from August to October, rising well above the foliage on bare stems. The inflorescence resembles a torch. It is nectar-rich and honey-bearing. It is a dense terminal cluster, composed of tubular and pendulous flowers. The flowers start as scarlet red and gradually change to orange and then green, in a gradient from the top to the bottom of the spike. The foliage is deciduous, absent in winter. It consists of very long, slightly sharp, glossy bluish-green leaves, grouped in a spreading bunch.

Their exotic appearance already charmed our grandmothers. Tritomas are surprising plants, yet very sturdy. They light up any garden with their colourful torches. Kniphofia 'Traffic Lights' will fit well in a large rockery, mixed for example with magenta red Lychnis coronaria, officinalis sage, and Anchusa azurea 'Loddon Royalist', with deep blue flowers. Tritomas go well with perennials with light blooms, as well as grasses. They can also be planted in isolation, on a lawn, along a path mixing colours, or combined with bamboos, yuccas, cannas, and lobelia to create an exotic atmosphere.