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Mar 5, 2016 3:24 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Avedon
NE Tex (Zone 8a)
Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Hummingbirder Region: Texas
I am looking for a perennial which is easy care--no diseases, no spraying---does such a plant exist---and a good summer bloomer. I thought kniphofias might do, but I am afraid they won't do if we get a lot of rain. Advice, please, and thanks for any input.
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Mar 5, 2016 6:00 PM CST
Name: Jennifer
48036 MI (Zone 6b)
Cottage Gardener Houseplants Spiders! Heucheras Frogs and Toads Dahlias
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I have no trouble with kniphofias and lots of rain. But I plant mine with plenty of ammended well draining soil. They are easy perennials for me. They are pretty in bloom. But they don't bloom all summer for me. Some people report they grow aggressively. Never been my experience.
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Mar 6, 2016 8:19 AM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
They're easy care plants for me too. We had an unusually wet year last summer and they weren't phased.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Mar 7, 2016 10:17 AM CST
Name: Mika
Oxfordshire, England and Mento
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Foliage Fan Critters Allowed Daylilies Irises Roses
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We grow kniphofias here, several types, and none of them has ever been bothered by lots of rain. If you're deciding between different varieties of kniphofia, the following article might be helpful (by the Royal Horticultural Society).

https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-t...
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Mar 9, 2016 2:24 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Avedon
NE Tex (Zone 8a)
Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Hummingbirder Region: Texas
Thanks to all of you for responding. I would love to know how you amended your soil for the kniphofias. Right now it is pouring down rain and we could end up with 8-12 inches of rain in three days, just thinking what I would do to keep kniphofias going in this type of weather. I do have some favorites of the ones I have seen, and wouldn't you know, at least three of them are sold out, or else not listed for sale here in the U.S. that I can find. Right now, it looks as if Mango Popsicle, and Papaya Popsicle have made the cut along with Echo Mango. I really wanted Timothy and Safranvogel, but sold out at the source I could find. Well, I will keep looking, maybe get lucky. Mika, thanks for the great article, was very helpful. I will put up another post when I make a final decision and post my list.
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Mar 9, 2016 2:50 PM CST
Name: Jennifer
48036 MI (Zone 6b)
Cottage Gardener Houseplants Spiders! Heucheras Frogs and Toads Dahlias
Hummingbirder Sedums Winter Sowing Peonies Region: Michigan Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I have three of the Popsicle series. Red Hot, Orange Vanilla, and Pineapple . The Pineapple is a disappointment for me. The other two rock!

I amend my soil by taking bags of soil I get locally that are amazing black loamy soil with a bit of sand, Garden Magic is the brand. I mix that with bagged compost, shredded leaves (not very composted), and some ProMix seed starting mix (which is mainly peat and perlite). I dig a hole twice what I need toss in amended some amended soil and use my Cobrahead to stir it in with the local soil. Then I place my potted plant in the hole and fill in with more amended soil. I take the local soil and put it on top of that.
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Mar 10, 2016 11:44 AM CST
Name: tarev
San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b)
Give PEACE a chance!
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I grow Kniphofia sarmentosa in a container. In my area it is a late winter bloomer. So far it has been coming back nicely every year. To be honest I have not amended the soil yet. It goes to sleep here during summer, and just comes back when the cool temps of Fall returns. When I planted this, I made my media very well draining, using succulent mix adding pumice and some compost. Winter is our rainy season, and it seems to thrive in that cool winter rain and then followed by good dry out time.

I tried two other Kniphofias - Kniphofia caulescens and Kniphofia hirsuta 'Fire Dance', both blooms in mid to late Spring. But both did not stand our summer heat or maybe I have underwatered them too much so they just did not make it anymore. Too bad, I really like the compact growth of Kniphofia hirsuta 'Fire Dance'

It was good I tried them, taught me that our excessive duration of dry heat here is too much for some plants to handle, even in shade.
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Mar 11, 2016 11:56 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Avedon
NE Tex (Zone 8a)
Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Hummingbirder Region: Texas
Tarev, thanks for the info. I read about the sarmentosa blooming in the winter time so I won't get this one, I don't think it would work here.. Evidently, they seem to need a fair amount of water to keep going and since CA has had such a terrible drought, can understand about the watering situation there. We also have bad droughts occasionally, but we have a deep well, and so we can pretty much keep our plants watered enough to keep them alive, even though they won't have the amount of bloom as they would in a good year with enough water from the sky. I am very much hoping to get some of the "pokers" I am interested in and then I can add my critique as to whether or not they are good garden plants for us.
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Mar 11, 2016 12:04 PM CST
Name: tarev
San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b)
Give PEACE a chance!
Adeniums Cat Lover Garden Photography Region: California Houseplants Plays in the sandbox
Orchids Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Composter Cactus and Succulents Dragonflies Hummingbirder
You are lucky to have your own water source Avedon and not just tap water like we do here during summer! Hope you find your Kniphofia! Good luck!
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Mar 11, 2016 12:12 PM CST
Name: Ken
East S.F. Bay Area (Zone 9a)
Region: California
tarev said:You are lucky to have your own water source Avedon and not just tap water like we do here during summer!


Indeed. Tap water has such a high pH, the plants look worse and worse as summer wears on.
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Mar 12, 2016 10:59 AM CST
Name: Mike
Hazel Crest, IL (Zone 5b)
"Have no patience for bare ground"
Avedon good to see you. I got my first Kniphofia in a trade last summer and they did well. Got some blooms. Excited to see what they do this year. I divided mine in two and planted them in separate locations.
robinseeds.com
"Life as short as it

























is, is amazing, isn't it. MichaelBurton

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Mar 15, 2016 5:56 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Avedon
NE Tex (Zone 8a)
Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Hummingbirder Region: Texas
I have placed an order for three of the Popsicle Series of kniphofias: I am getting Mango Popsicle, Papaya Popsicle, and Red Hot Popsicle. I really wish I could buy these locally in a bigger size, but I have never seen any of these plants at the big box stores in our area, or at some of the local plant nurseries. I did find an online source for a gallon size plant, but the price was high and it didn't include shipping which was a lot more. So, nevertheless, I am excited about the order and the plants will ship in less than a month from now. Now I will be working on getting the planting spaces ready. Let you know when plants arrive and how they look.
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Mar 16, 2016 8:05 PM CST
Name: Rosie
HILLSBOROUGH, NC (Zone 7b)
If it sparkles - I'm there!
Bookworm Dragonflies Garden Art Region: North Carolina Plays in the sandbox Deer
A great summer bloomer ( ALL summer- no breaks right to frost ) is lantana... Not a perennial for me..but perhaps for you... Another all summer bloomer is turks cap...and the final for long bloom is plumbago..all no care for me. No disease, the deer do eat turks cap.. both red and pink ..the pink is gorgeous. The plumbago is beautiful combined with oranges, pinks and red.
Don't squat with yer spurs on!

People try to turn back their "odometers." Not me. I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved
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Mar 18, 2016 8:30 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Avedon
NE Tex (Zone 8a)
Bee Lover Butterflies Cat Lover Daylilies Hummingbirder Region: Texas
Hi, Rosie, yes, lantanas are great plants for us if they are hardy. A lot of the new hybrids aren't. We have one Lantana camorra, the pink and yellow one and we love it. The deer never touch it so it can be planted outside of the fenced areas. We grow quite a few daylilies and other plants that the deer love, so electric fencing was our answer to the problem. Now, we have a rabbits(s) who have decided the Asiatic lilies are good food--this is the first time this has ever happened, and the kniphofias are supposed to not be attractive to rabbits--hope that's true. We grow Ceratostigma plumbagoides--the hardy blue plumbago--as a ground cover on the south side of our walk for it seems to be able to take the heat. The problem here are moles, which get into everything and can and have killed some of our plants. Thank you for your input, always enjoy reading what other people are growing.
Avatar for Deebie
Mar 18, 2016 8:40 AM CST
Name: Deborah
midstate South Carolina (Zone 8a)
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!
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Rosie, is plumbago hardy where you are? I have some that I kept into the garage over the winter, but would love to plant out.
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Mar 18, 2016 11:38 AM CST
Name: Rosie
HILLSBOROUGH, NC (Zone 7b)
If it sparkles - I'm there!
Bookworm Dragonflies Garden Art Region: North Carolina Plays in the sandbox Deer
Yes. The entire plant very late in the season will turn brown and stiff..die above ground..but spring from the ground with new growth in march..about 1/2 inch high now.
Don't squat with yer spurs on!

People try to turn back their "odometers." Not me. I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved
Last edited by MISSINGROSIE Mar 18, 2016 11:39 AM Icon for preview
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Mar 18, 2016 11:43 AM CST
Name: Rosie
HILLSBOROUGH, NC (Zone 7b)
If it sparkles - I'm there!
Bookworm Dragonflies Garden Art Region: North Carolina Plays in the sandbox Deer
@avedon
No issue with rabbits, deer or moles/ voles -- 5 years so far with kniphofia .. The Problem is mine ..need a bit more sun.
Don't squat with yer spurs on!

People try to turn back their "odometers." Not me. I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved
Last edited by MISSINGROSIE Mar 19, 2016 8:48 AM Icon for preview
Avatar for copperbeech
Mar 19, 2016 8:30 AM CST
GTA (Southern Ontario) (Zone 5a)
I love "kniphofia". But I can never get them to survive more than a couple of seasons :(.

Here is a small stand from June of 2012.

Thumb of 2016-03-19/copperbeech/4ddce2
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Mar 19, 2016 8:57 AM CST
Name: Mika
Oxfordshire, England and Mento
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Foliage Fan Critters Allowed Daylilies Irises Roses
Hostas Birds Multi-Region Gardener Cat Lover Dog Lover Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Pretty! Smiling
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Mar 19, 2016 8:58 AM CST
Name: Rosie
HILLSBOROUGH, NC (Zone 7b)
If it sparkles - I'm there!
Bookworm Dragonflies Garden Art Region: North Carolina Plays in the sandbox Deer
Deebie said:Rosie, is plumbago hardy where you are? I have some that I kept into the garage over the winter, but would love to plant out.



@deebie
I just ran across these. In case you have different type. These are the ones that have no issue coming back
Thumb of 2016-03-19/MISSINGROSIE/17703b
Thumb of 2016-03-19/MISSINGROSIE/49a744
Don't squat with yer spurs on!

People try to turn back their "odometers." Not me. I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved
Last edited by MISSINGROSIE Mar 19, 2016 8:59 AM Icon for preview

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