Red Firespike for Color and for Hummingbirds

It's always nice to discover one more easy-care plant with outstanding attributes to grace our Florida garden. Brilliant, fiery red blooms would be plenty to convince me I needed firespike (Odontonema strictum) in my naturalistic garden beds. Red is red. Who doesn't love red!

It attracts me AND the hummingbirds and butterflies! What a treat is has been to watch the Ruby-throated hummingbirds nectaring from the tubular blooms all summer long.

The red blooms begin in summer and will continue through fall.

It is said firespike does well in full sun or partial shade in zones 8-11. In my garden it does best with partial shade. I've noticed them planted in full sun elsewhere and the leaves appear a bit bleached out, but still blooming.

Here it is combined with native plants such as coontie, oakleaf hydrangea, spiderwort, blue-eyed grass, and saw palmettos.  Other Florida-Friendly plants in this bed include Giant Liriope, variegated aztec grass, Caladium 'Red Flash' and 'Freida Hemple', African Iris, and red pentas further down just to name a few.

My first 2 plants were started and passed along to me by gardening friend, NanaK at My Garden Path . Since then, I've made several more plants from cuttings to spread them around the garden. Too easy. More food for more hummingbirds.

They will freeze back to the ground if we have a tough winter but also return quickly from the roots in spring. You can probably tell mature firespike has stiff branching and they get fairly tall to about 10' in these conditions. Have you discovered this plant for your garden?

Which plants are you growing to attract hummingbirds to your fall garden?

You might also like to read:
Florida-Friendly Plants
Florida Native Plants
Can Naturalistic and Tidy Meet in the Middle?
Mixing Florida-Friendly Plants with Natives
Tips for Designing a Naturalistic Garden

*** Please click over to Hoe and Shovel on Facebook to see the daily photos and discussions about plants there. Click on the LIKE button to be part of the conversation. We'd love to hear what you have to add. Meems

Hummer Makes My Case For Crimson Pentas

Crimson pentas rank high on the 'favorite year-round perennials' list here.

For so many reasons.

They are bright and cheery and endure all kinds of ill-weather. Mine all came back from being frosted to the ground this winter. They bloom consistently all year long. Other than benefiting from deadheading occasionally (not required) pentas of all colors ask for very little from the gardener. Grown in partial shade or direct sunlight makes them suitable for just about every garden.

They are most notably a butterfly attractor!

Recently they were bumped up to an even higher position on my favorites list.

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I NEVER EVER have my camera handy when I see hummingbirds in my garden. Occasionally one will come whizzing past me while I work; sounding like an overgrown bumble bee to my ears. But it is no use trying to scramble for the camera. I'd rather just enjoy the sight of them in their lightning-fast motion.

Such was the case as Mr. Meems and I were eating brunch on the back porch the other day. Only it was Mr. Meems who spoke up saying, "I think I just saw a hummingbird on the roses." Immediately I doubted his identification as not moments prior I had watched the chickadees as they fluttered about the feeders in almost-hummbingbird-like motion. Surely he has seen the chickadees was my first thought.

Not so. He was absolutely right. Sure enough it was a hummer. (I should've known right!?).

We watched that busy hummer through the screening about 40' away for a good while. It moved from the knockout rose tree, to the crimson pentas, over to the mexican petunias and back again. Repeatedly. Hungry little hummer.

Finally I could stand it no more. We came up with a plan.

Mr. Meems scurried inside for my camera (while I kept my eye on the hummer). Then he stealthily opened the screened door for me to slip outside unnoticed in an attempt to maybe... just maybe get a photo. Oh, how I needed my monopod. I was excited and too far away ~~ my hand just couldn't get steady enough.

Still, I gave it my best effort and this is it. What a thrill to see them sipping nectar from any of my plants. It is almost always the coral honeysuckle or the fire bush that attracts them. They DO love the color RED.

One of these days I'm going to be ready and all the universe will align for that in-focus hummer photo.

One of these days...