Hamelia patensFirebush

Hamelia patens carries terminal clusters of narrow tubular flowers in orange to scarlet almost continuously in warm climates, and the whorled foliage flushes red where the plant sits in full sun, so the colour effect runs through the whole shrub rather than just the flower.

It grows quickly to two to four metres, takes hard pruning without sulking, and draws butterflies and nectar-feeding birds in numbers, which is why it appears so often in park and resort planting across the tropics.

Specifications

• Height2 to 4 metres
• Width1.5 to 3 metres
• Native toThe Americas, from Florida and Mexico through Central America into South America
• FoliageWhorled elliptic leaves, mid-green flushing red in full sun; evergreen in frost-free climates
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilTolerates a wide range of well-drained soils including poor ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterModerate; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions; frost sensitive

Additional Features

• FlowersTerminal clusters of tubular orange to scarlet flowers, near continuous in warm climates
• FruitSmall berries ripening from red to near black, readily taken by birds
• UsesInformal screening, park and resort massing, median planting and butterfly gardens
• SpacingPlant 1.2 to 1.5 metres apart for a continuous mass
• Low MaintenanceResponds well to hard pruning and reshoots quickly from old wood
• Pest ResistanceRobust and largely untroubled
• Drought ToleranceHolds flowering on modest irrigation once the root system is away
• Wildlife AttractionOne of the strongest butterfly and nectar-bird plants available for the tropics

Firebush gives large-scale tropical planting continuous hot colour with almost no maintenance demand.