Red hot pokers

pauldeakin4

Hi all, 

I'm new when it comes to gardening. To be truthful I started 6 months ago and it's becoming a passion. 

My problem is that my red hot pokers have been a total let down, they flowered (of sorts) but only reached a measly 6 inches in hight. I've tried moving them to a sunnier position with no change, dead headed them, fed them and I just don't know what else I could do. 

Any help will be greatly appreciated, 

Paul

Busy-Lizzie

Now I would leave them and wait until next year. They can take time to get going.

raisingirl

As BL says, they can take 2 or 3 years to settle in and begin to flower reliably and attractively. Have they got good drainage where they are now? They don't like wet feet

Bee witched

Hi Paul,

I've found that slugs and snails are a bit partial to red hot pokers. If yours are struggling to get going they could be the culprit.

Bee

Iamweedy

Yes they are slug food.  I had some plants that kept getting chomped as tiny plants, but now seem to be tough enough not to be palatable to slugs. They have not flowered yet .

I see Philipa Smith 2 has had the same experience.

pauldeakin4

Thanks for all the responses, 

I thought that it could be it being the first season, but all the other plants are going great guns. I had a aphid invasion that decimated my lupins, but I isolated them and had no other problems. Also an ant problem on my cardoons, but they seem to have gone on their holidays for now. Luckily I don't have a slug problem which is lucky. 

Iamweedy

Knipophia

The ones I had were dried out tubers  in a bag for 50p in the bargain tub in B & Q. 

Busy-Lizzie

Some plants flower in the first season and others don't.

pauldeakin4

I spoke too soon, they are past their best,  but still look ok. A little small but ok for a newbie!

Busy-Lizzie

That's good for the first year. Mine are well over, but there were several in flower at Bressingham Gardens.