Torch Lily

How to grow Torch Lily

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Plant in spring rather than autumn so the crown is established before winter. Choose a spot with real drainage — winter wet in the crown kills more plants than cold does. Work grit into heavy soil before planting.

Pruning

Pull or cut spent flower spikes out at the base. Leave the foliage over winter; the untidy mass of leaves helps keep water out of the crown, and it can be tidied in spring.

Propagation

Divide in late spring with a spade, taking rooted offsets from the edge of the clump. Divisions are slow to re-establish and may not flower the following year.

Pests and diseases

Few problems. Crown rot in wet winters is the main cause of loss.

Value to wildlife

The tubular flowers hold a lot of nectar and are worked by bumblebees, and sometimes by blackbirds and other birds probing the spikes.

Notes

Clumps become congested and flower less after several years. In cold or wet gardens a dry winter mulch of grit around the crown is more useful than covering the plant.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Kniphofia uvaria but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Kniphofia