Kniphofia sarmentosa

Kniphofia sarmentosa is a rhizomatous perennial of the family Asphodelaceae, native to the western Karoo and the Hex River mountains of South Africa, where it grows along streams and in moist hollows in a winter-rainfall region. The slightly creeping rhizome produces soft, strap-shaped, glaucous leaves. In late winter a sturdy stalk bears a dense spike of deep reddish-orange tubular flowers that fade to buff-cream as they age, highly attractive to nectar-feeding birds. It is grown in full sun, in cool to moist, well-drained soil, and tolerates moderate frost.