Hamelia patens Nuccio's Nurseries over decades

over decades

horticulturally the plant is the aristocrat of the group

a member of the storax family

Give the shrub full sun and lean soil

The overall shape is irregular and almost stratified

Hamelia patens Nuccio's Nurseries over decadesFirebush earns the name honestly. From late spring until the first frost, the arching branch tips carry tight clusters of slender tubular flowers in hot orange red, each one a narrow torch held out for the hummingbirds and butterflies that work the plant from morning to dusk. The foliage plays along: new leaves and stems flush bronze to burgundy, the veins stained red, so that even between flushes of bloom the whole shrub reads warm. Few plants pull