New plants from mom: Winter Red Hot Pokers

Veltheimia bracteata aka Winter Red Hot Pokers are indigenous to my country and all of the Red Hot Pokers are a big favourite of my mothers. She's always trying to give me some and today I relented, because who could resist these?

Red Hot Pokers belong to the Hyancinth family, on of the many indigenous lilies found here and have a large underground bulb which needs to grow in well-drained soil. They are frost-sensitive and prefer to grow in a shady environment so I will need to keep these under a tree and they will do well with minimal watering. I took these pictures of the ones in her garden.

It gets its name from the fact that it goes dormant in summer and grows during the cooler months, flowering in winter. The flowers are similar to those of aloes and like aloes, it is also pollinated by sunbirds. I have quite a few sunbirds in my garden already so these will be extra food for them in winter