RED HOT POKER, also known as Torch Lily
If you’re looking to heat things up in the summer garden, look no further! Red Hot Poker, also known as Torch Lilly, offers a firework display of color in the landscape throughout the summer. This perennial features upright, grass-like clumps of long, narrow foliage that produces stems topped with vibrant, color clusters. With shades ranging from orange to yellow, coral to red and even green to near white, color options are extensive. Heights range from 1½ to 6 feet tall, depending on the variety. Most species are evergreen, but some slightly deciduous varieties will reappear in early summer after lying dormant during the winter months. This plant is an ideal choice for any perennial garden, especially when planted in mass. Red Hot Poker does best in full sun to partial shade and is drought tolerant.
Here are a couple of our favorite red hot varieties: Echo Mango – a repeat bloomer featuring flower spikes in a soft, warm shade of apricot ascending above grass-like foliage. Blooms last spring into summer and are perfect in beds or borders. Prefers full sun to partial shade and is drought tolerant once established. Papaya Popsicle – an all-summer bloomer with a very short compact habit that features flower spikes in bright red and yellow atop grass-like foliage that stays tidy all summer. Ideal massed in the landscape or planted in small gardens or containers. Prefers full sun. A hummingbird favorite!