Poco Citron Kniphofia Adds Fresh Color with Summer Bloom

Virtues: Drama-free in terms of care but high in performance, Kniphofia POCO 'Citron' is a flowering perennial that survives intense heat and drought once established. With a short stature, unique summer-to-autumn blooms and stiff, grassy foliage, it is suited to pots or the front of the border. This kniphofia shows an improved habit over other cultivars, and there’s no comparison to its color shifts. The flowers go from a cool lime-green to lemon, canary yellow and buttercream. They attract butterflies and hummingbirds. 

Common name: POCO 'Citron' red hot poker

Botanical name: Kniphofia POCO 'Citron'

Exposure: Full sun

Flowers: Flowers appear from midsummer into fall. They are upright bottlebrush-like spikes of tubular blossoms. The buds start out lime green and as the flowers open and age, the color shifts to bright yellow and finally butter yellow. Several of these shades appear at once on one flower structure.

Foliage: Green, upright and grasslike.

Habit: This is an herbaceous clumping perennial that reaches about 14 inches tall and wide. When the flowers appear, they increase the overall height to about 20 inches.

Origin: Introduced in 2020 by Terra Nova Nurseries as part of their POCO series of hybrid kniphofia.

How to grow it: Provide full sun and well-drained soil. Kniphofia grows well in hot and dry conditions. Leave declining foliage standing over the winter to protect the crown of the plant, then trim it back in early spring. USDA Zones 6–9.

Image courtesy of TERRA NOVA Nurseries, Inc.