Firebush (Hamelia patens)
The single best hummingbird plant on the Treasure Coast.
Hamelia patens
The hummingbird magnet that blooms almost every day of the year
Why it works here
If I could only plant one shrub for wildlife on the Treasure Coast, it might be this one. Firebush pushes clusters of skinny red-orange tubular flowers nearly year-round in our climate, and hummingbirds, zebra longwings, and sulphur butterflies treat it like a gas station. It's also a larval host for the pluto sphinx moth, which means the caterpillars of that moth can only develop on plants like this one. It loves our sandy soil and our heat. One important note: buy the true native, not the "dwarf" or "African" firebush (Hamelia patens var. glabra) that big box stores sell. That one is an import, it feeds wildlife poorly by comparison, and it can even cross with our native. I only plant the real thing.
Care
Water it regularly for the first few months, then back off and let rain do most of the work. A couple inches of mulch and a yearly topdress of compost is all the feeding it needs. It takes pruning well, so you can keep it at hedge height or let it go full and loose, but every cut removes flower buds, so I prune lightly and not often. If a rare freeze knocks it back, wait: it almost always resprouts from the base.
Common problems
Honestly, very few. Occasionally you'll see aphids or scale, which are small sap-sucking insects, on new growth: a strong blast of water or an organically listed horticultural oil handles them, and ladybugs usually show up on their own. Leaf spots can appear in soggy, crowded conditions: give it air and don't overwater. Cold snaps below freezing will brown it, and that's cosmetic, not fatal.
Common questions
Why do my firebush flowers never seem to open?
They're not supposed to open wide. The tubular shape is the whole point: it's built for hummingbird bills and long-tongued butterflies. If it's covered in skinny red tubes, it's doing exactly what it should.
Is the dwarf firebush at the garden center the same plant?
No, and this matters. The compact one usually sold as dwarf or African firebush is a non-native variety with yellower flowers that our wildlife mostly ignores. Check the tag for Hamelia patens var. patens, or buy from a native nursery.
How big will it really get?
In Stuart, plan on 6 to 10 feet if you leave it alone, and it's happy to be kept smaller with light pruning. Where it never sees a freeze it can get bigger than people expect, so give it room.
Interested in a firebush (hamelia patens) in your landscape?
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