Plant Database

Other Names:  Coral Plant, Coral Fountain, Coralblow

Description:

This sub-shrub is a weeping variety with very fine, grassy foliage, producing tall spikes of striking red-orange tubular flowers all season; prefers full sun and is drought tolerant once established; great for containers, and baskets; overwinter indoors

Ornamental Features

Firecracker Plant features dainty spikes of scarlet tubular flowers with orange overtones rising above the foliage from late winter to late fall. It has attractive light green evergreen foliage. The grassy leaves are highly ornamental and remain light green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Firecracker Plant is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely form and gracefully arching branches. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Firecracker Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Firecracker Plant will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. 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. This species is not originally from North America.

Firecracker Plant makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. 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.