Other Names:  Mexican Cigar Plant, Cigar Flower

Brand:  Ball

Description:

A beautiful trailing and spreading variety featuring unusual deep orange tubular flower over dark green foliage; flowers year round in warmer climates; an excellent choice for hanging baskets or mixed containers; heat tolerant and low maintenance

Ornamental Features

Cherrybells Firecracker Plant has orange tubular flowers along the branches from early spring to late winter, which are interesting on close inspection. It has dark green evergreen foliage. The pointy leaves remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Cherrybells Firecracker Plant is an open multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Cherrybells Firecracker Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Cherrybells Firecracker Plant will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. 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. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Cherrybells Firecracker Plant makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. 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.

This is a tender plant that may require additional winter protection in our area; contact the store for more information.