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Botanical name: Dicliptera suberecta
An attractive hummingbird magnet in the garden with clusters of long lasting coral-red blooms from mid summer into fall; highly tolerant to heat, humidity, and drought; beautiful blue-green fuzzy foliage is evergreen in frost free areas.
Other names: Uruguayan Firecracker Plant, syn. Justicia
| Hardiness zone | 6b |
|---|---|
| Flower color | coral |
| Foliage type | deciduous * |
| Plant form | mounded |
| Mature height | 24 inches |
| Spread | 3 feet |
| Light requirements | full sun |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | import |
* deciduous = loses leaves in winter
Hummingbird Plant features showy clusters of coral-pink tubular flowers with red overtones at the ends of the branches from mid summer to mid fall. It has attractive bluish-green foliage throughout the season. The fuzzy oval leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall color. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.
Hummingbird Plant is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.
This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Hummingbird Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Accent, Mass Planting, Rock/Alpine Gardens, General Garden Use, Container Planting
Hummingbird Plant will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.
This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.
Hummingbird Plant makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
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