At The Lord Milner Hotel in Matjiesfontein, our team recently embarked on a 125 km transhumance trek with a local Karoo sheep farming family, gaining deep insight into the heritage behind our beloved Karoo lamb. This time-honoured journey through the rugged landscape, marked by resilience, tradition, and connection to the land, revealed the true soul of the Karoo and the people who sustain it. Now, every dish of Karoo lamb we serve...
How to grow a Red Hot Poker Plant
Posted on Wed September 23, 2015 in Garden.
The drought and heat tolerant Red Hot Poker Plant is native to South Africa.
Adding a bright punch to the landscape it does well in conditions of places like the Karoo, including our garden!
It’s also called Torch Lily and Poker Plant and comes in colours, red, orange, coral, cream and yellow.
Though we advise you to grow them in red as this is the hummingbirds' favourite colour, and the birds are attracted to the plant’s tubular flowers.
Planting tips
The like full sun.
Plant in loose, rich soil that drains well (mix in compost)
Avoid wet soils, as this can lead to rot.
It’s as easy as that. Or simply come and enjoy ours in mid-summer when they’re in full bloom.
What’s your favourite native South African plant? Let us know in the comments.
Further Reading
Under the Karoo Stars: A Journey with the Shepherds Behind Our Lamb
Tue July 8, 2025
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Olive Schreiner
Wed October 16, 2024
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Olive Schreiner (1855–1920) is remembered as one of South Africa’s most influential literary figures and a pioneering feminist. Her works and activism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries left a lasting impact on literature, politics, and social reform in her home country and beyond.
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