With panhandle Florida’s schools back in session, the summer break of 2023 is done much to the relief of many parents. Still, the heat and humidity remain typical to August.
Even though a bit extreme this year, the heat should come as no surprise to anyone who has been in panhandle Florida for more than 15 minutes. The humidity, despite its physical discomfort to most, generates many benefits but is not a consistent presence.
Without the seasonal stickiness and its associated rains, the elevated temperature readings create the threat of wildfires. There is, however, one intense blaze popular with many homeowners.
The Mexican Firebush, a Florida native, produces a blaze of intense color. The name aside, this species is found in its native range from Florida to Argentina and many places in between.
The showy blooms of Mexican Firebush are currently attracting hummingbirds and many species of butterflies. This Gulf Fritillary has plenty of blooms from which to choose.
Hamelia patens, as this plant is botanically known, is a delight to anyone who wishes to add its attractive and consistent orange-red blooms to a landscape during the warm seasons. It is a quick growing soft-stemmed shrub which reaches a height and width of 8 to 12 feet tall without external support.
Typically, a one-foot-tall specimen planted in the spring has the potential to reach five feet or more by the following winter. Specimens can grow to 15 feet tall or more if provided the support of a trellis or other structure.
Its evergreen leaves are covered with red tomentum (hairs) when young and are speckled with red or purple at maturity. Also, a distinctive red are the stalks which attach the leaves to their stems.
Usually, three leaves are arranged in whorls. Bright orange-red flowers project from the forking cluster of blooms at the tips of the branches much of the year in north Florida.
The petite, slender flowers are tubular and reach a length of an inch to an inch and a half. While this species is tolerant of shade, flowering is reduced when exposure to the sun is limited.
For the home landscaper, the Mexican Firebush can be used as a foundation plant for large structures and is superb when placed in the background of a mass of shrubs in a border to naturalize the setting.
Birds, especially hummingbirds, are frequent visitors to the Mexican Firebush. Many insect pollinators, including residential and migrant butterflies, are attracted to the nectar available from the numerous bright flowers.
Small, rounded, glossy black fruits are produced from the blooms. There is a continuous crop of these seedy fruit during the late spring through autumn, and a variety of birds are quite fond of them.
For the home landscaper, the Mexican Firebush can be used as a foundation plant for large structures and is superb when placed in the background of a mass of shrubs in a border to naturalize the setting.
Its dense foliage makes this plant well suited as a screen or for establishing a border. A hedge of this shrub will need regular clipping and pruning, with flowers typically removed during this process.
The debate in horticultural circles is if it deserves the “native” classification locally since this species was originally found growing naturally in central Florida and points south. Either way, it grows well in north Florida.
For the homeowner seeking a well-adapted shrub, it is important to know this showy perennial really lights up summer.
Leave a Reply