Red hot pokers - how to prune?
 

I have two red hot pokers in the front garden - next to the house

They are prob about 2 years old now. They have gone crazy!

How can I reduce the size or dig up and move as they are not the easiest of things to prune.

Has anyone else had success with them?

These are really tough guys. I have dug up and divided several times. I
cut the "leaves" back so the plant is about 8" tall, then dig up and
pull apart. I was not sure cutting the leaves back would be a good thing
- could not find any info about dividing them, so took a chance - but
they bounce right back. Gives you a chance to also pull out all the
brown dead parts under leaves. Tidy them up a bit. Plant the divisions
and soon they will need to be divided!

I have several varieties - I have some that get really huge - flowering
stems about 4' high - and some little ones that don't get more than 2'
high.

gardencottage wrote:
I have two red hot pokers in the front garden - next to the house

They are prob about 2 years old now. They have gone crazy!

How can I reduce the size or dig up and move as they are not the
easiest of things to prune.

Has anyone else had success with them?

Hello, gardencottage. One doesn't really prune Red Hot Pokers (Knifophia).
If the clump is too wide you can divide it. Each shoot will separate at the
base, probably with your bare hands but you could use a knife if necessary.
Just get the roots attached to the bottom of each shoot.

If the plants are looking untidy (as they are apt) you can just trim off
dead and damaged leaves. There are dwarves on the market that stay quite
small,**if*size*is*really*a*problem.

Yes, I have had a lot of success with them, and have a number of different
kinds. The common one is K. uvaria, but I also have K. caulescens, K.
lineariafolia (a big one), and K. thompsonii var snowdenii, an
unusual-looking, long-blooming tropical species that is surprisingly hardy
(like the rest of the genus). They are tough plants, working well in places
that are a little too rugged for delicate things. I use them in a
rock-garden.

Kind regards,

Atar

gardencottage wrote:


I have two red hot pokers in the front garden - next to the house

They are prob about 2 years old now. They have gone crazy!

How can I reduce the size or dig up and move as they are not the
easiest of things to prune.

Has anyone else had success with them?



--
Visit my blog at http://wildestdreamsofkew.blogspot.com.