Kniphofia in the US Gulf South

[thyerr01]

I planted K. sarmentosa in March and was surprised to see it flower this week as it's one of the few winter flowering Kniphofia. Our hottest weather of the year (~33 C/90 f) also scorched all the leaves which isn't a good sign going into summer. The smaller plant at the front is K. thomsonii which was also affected.

There are some ancient threads on various failed attempts to grow Kniphofia in Florida. Have any of the newer cultivars or different species improved upon this? These are planted in a raised bed with a fair amount of sand in the mix and are on drip irrigation.

[happypalms]

I can never get my clump to look good, I love them, but for some reason they all fall over and the whole plant flops around. 
Only the other day I made the decision to remove it. As much as I want them in my garden it’s too unsightly.