How can I pepper up my garden?
Q I collected some seeds from my red hot poker plants. What should I do with them, as I would like to see if I could grow some more?
Mimma Copeman (via email)
A The RHS suggests that Kniphofia seed should be sown in spring and kept at a steady temperature of 15˚C/59˚F to germinate.
They will do best in peaty compost with the seeds lightly covered. Germination should take 10-30 days.
Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, pot them individually into smallish pots to grow on, before planting out once the risk of frost has passed.
The compost needs to be consistently moist, so cover the pot in a plastic bag, clingfilm or a piece of clear rigid plastic.
Remove the cover for a short time every day to prevent the moisture building up so much it drips and to allow oxygen to reach the compost. Remove it altogether once germination has begun.
Avoid sitting the pot in full sunshine where the compost will dry out quickly and the young seedlings may scorch bright but not direct sun is best.
However, Thompson & Morgan suggest that you can also sow seeds in the autumn, presumably harvested fresh from the plant, and that plants grown in this way may flower the following year. If you do this, bear in mind the young seedlings will require over-wintering before being planted out.
Kniphofia is hardy, but the young seedlings will be better off somewhere frost-free for their first winter.