I love the citrus colours of Kniphofia, especially the tall yellow ones, but all of them really. The spiky leaves in the vase are New Zealand flax, a ‘black’ and a purple version of Phormium tenax. I picked them thinking that the purple would set off the yellow, but I see that the thin line of orange along the edge works with the orange as well.
I’ve grown a lot of seedlings which I think are like this one above, which will turn dark orange. I’m gradually planting them out in quite big patches. It takes a little planning but they are not too hard to move if I get it wrong.
I picked these because they are lovely and make a change, but also because I thought for some reason that the bees weren’t fond of them. Research suggests that I have this wrong, so I will have to watch next week and see. The Bees are racing to fill up their honey stores before Winter so I want to leave their favourite flowers for them.
There are several different types of Kniphofia available and they come from different areas in Africa so will flower at different times, mostly during our Autumn, Winter, and Spring but a few odd ones in Summer.
At Rambling in the Garden Spring is advancing bringing vases full of flowers to enjoy or you can add your own.
Absent Gardener 
A lovely vase. I used to grow one of these. It had the orange around the bottom of the bloom and faded to yellow at the top. The plant didn’t like it much here so I haven’t tried to grow any of these newer varieties that are available. They do make a pretty vase.
Thanks Lisa. Kniphofia are pretty tough but I’m not sure how much cold they can tolerate.
The Phormium leaves are almost as beautiful as the flowers, a perfect match.
Thanks Christina, they are nice and strong, as well as a pretty colour, whereas the Kniphofia leaves are often messy and bent up.
What an elegant match..and I quite agree with you…when the bees are foraging it feels so rude to snatch away their food.
It does. I found this list of plants bees like and don’t like, which has a type of Kniphofia on the ‘like’ list, but it’s a very different species, typhoides, quite interesting. http://bspm.agsci.colostate.edu/files/2013/03/Bees-in-the-Garden-Handout.pdf
These work so nicely together. I always worried Kniphofia might take over and be difficult to move if I needed to. Glad to learn otherwise. The clean yellow is especially inviting.
I suppose it depends on your soil and climate. Agapanthus and Hedychium can be very invasive and difficult to remove here, but just a few degrees colder and they are prized plants.
I have no Kniphofia in my garden – an omission I should clearly correct. Yours look great with the Phormium leaves, another material I’ve yet to try in my own vases.
Thanks! They are both pretty tough, and there are smaller varieties.
Lovely combo, Cath! The details of these flowers are exquisite. Studied up close, they are amazing examples of Fibonacci spirals.
Thanks Eliza, your comment sent me off on a long path looking at patterns in nature. It’s a fascinating topic.
Nature always keeps me in thrall. 🙂
Gosh, Kniphofia in a vase! I would never have thought of this, although If I had an established clump perhaps I would 😉 The phormium is the ideal complement. Thanks for sharing
What a fabulous flower, Kniphofia. It is exotic and stunning in a vase with the NZ flax.
The dark leaves and orange edges does look fantastic with the Kniphofia, especially the orange one. It is interesting that you grow them from seed and select them for different characteristics, Cath.
They are quite lovely Cath, and rather exotic in a vase. I felt a bit guilty cutiing some hellebores with the bees all buzzing around them on Monday. Interesting to hear the bees like this plant too.
Thanks Cathy, I don’t know if they do or not – the type that bees apparently like is quite different. I will have a close look and see.