Now you've done it! I have no idea what plant this is and I can't find it on google! Oh, please tell more. Do you know the scientific name? I'd love to know. The only thing I could find was "red bird of paradise"

Driven to insane curiosity...

Jennifer

Jennifer, I was also intrigued by the name. I found it listed at High Country Gardens as Scrophularia macrantha. I don't know how to make a link, but you could cut and paste the following address.

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/92750/

Connie

I might pick this up this spring, as I have a spot by my Salvia 'Pitcher's Blue' that would benefit. I've purchased many, many plants from HCG and rarely am disappointed in the performance or quality, and the catalogs are wonderful little learning tools as well.

Dan

Ahhhh, I see, such a pretty plant. Thanks Bonnie!!

J.

I do love the close-up picture in High Country Gardens, but I bought the new book "High and Dry" by Denverite Robert Nold and he isn't impressed with the plant. He says red is great for hummingbirds, of course, but that a gardener can do better than this plant. The flowers are actually rather tiny, the plant is mostly leaves, and Mr. Nold claims the plant has died of drought in his yard, even near an irrigated lawn. Of course this is his opinion. I haven't grown it. Just thought I'd share what I'd read.

Hi Flower! Glad to see youÂve decided to come post here!

With the Red Birds in a Tree, I have to agree with Buckley! The flowers look great in pictures, but in real life I wasnÂt all that impressed with them either! And I LOVE (hardy) red flowers, and am always looking for more! And I agree, too, that there are far better hummingbird flowers! The Red Birds flowers are very small. For the hummers IÂd go with some of the Penstemons, or Agastaches, or I really like the DianthusÂespecially Sweet WilliamsÂwhich you can get in true reds.

The Scrophularia was one of the 2008 Plant Select selections, and IÂm not too surprised by that because Kelly (from Timberline) is involved with the choice of the Plant Select plants, and he WAY likes it. I saw it for the first time back in the late Â90's (Kelly brought some in to sell over at PaulinoÂs), and he was all excited, but I kind of looked at it and went, oh, ok! At least on the plants we had to sell, the red just wasnÂt that obviousÂbut IÂve never seen one growing in the ground. If you decide you want to try one (and I would recommend just one at first so you can decide what you think of it), Timberline carries it, and since itÂs Plant Select, PaulinoÂsÂand any of the other "real" garden centers in the DEN area should have it too. The article you saw in the paper last year was probably part of the Plant Select promotionÂthey do that every year when they introduce their selections for the year. Sorry to be discouraging about this one, but I recommend you check it out at Timberline when they get their perennials out, since youÂre not very far away from there, and, hopefully, youÂll be able to find some that are blooming and decide for yourself what you think of them. Everybody likes something different, and you might fall in love with it like Kelly did!

When you have time, sign in on the WhoÂs Here thread and tell everybody a little bit about yourself or your gardens.

Welcome to RMG,
Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: Scrophularia macrantha, Red Birds in a Tree

Another alternative would be salvia coccinea 'Lady in Red'. Grows about 3 1/2' tall, produces multiple 8" spikes of red flowers. I grew them from seed last year, they took a little time to take off in June then bloomed continuously to the first hard frost. They did require some water, but not much (I had them on the same line as my fruit trees, which only got watered 1x per week). The hummingbirds loved them. I got the seeds from Johnny's, but seems that a number of places have them.

Ian

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Lady in Red' at Johnny's

I just noticed that Johnny's describes 'Lady in Red' as being 20-24" tall. My memory is that they're more waist-high, but my memory is probably wrong.

Ian

I have a large bush planted near a stone wall for overwintering here in our high altitude (7900ft) and windy cool winters. The flowers are small, but many and last through the summer and fall. The hummingbirds are very attracted. What I would like to know is if this plant can be divided or if it is seed propagated only. My plant is becoming too large for it's space.

I tried for years to grow from seed - under lights and winter sowing.

Neither worked but as I also loved the photos, I bought a plant, or 3.

It's not the ugliest thing I've seen, but when I look at it, I think 'why did I try so hard for this?'.

I also had to have Vermillion Bluffs Mexican Sage. This did winter sow successfully. I sort of like this one. Hummingbirds flock to it in my yard. My complaint is that is leans badly from the wind; fails to stand erect.

Still in search of the perfect red flower for my yard...that makes me think - TOTALLY worth the effort!

I got to say I disagree hardly with everyone who is posted negatively about this plant. I grow it in pots on my deck in Denver. I also grow six different types of pestamon and about that many agastache. It by far attracted the most hummingbirds and had the most outstanding array of flowers for the same size plant. It was a hummingbird magnet “they ignored the others. Ignore the negatives and give this a try.

rkchesnutt, you really dug up an old post! I never got to comment but I concur Redbirds in a Tree is the hummingbird favorite in my Arvada garden. It's kind of a gangly looking plant, grows quite tall, more like a shrub. But who cares? The hummingbirds adore it! And anything that brings them and keeps them in my yard is good with me!

Just heard my 1st hummingbird of the season this morning, rushed a feeder out! Looking forward to the season!

I thought I heard one the other day too, Liz. But they usually don't stop and stay here until later in the summer when all their favorite plants are in bloom. Your house is hummingbird central!

Wow...awesome photos, mstywoods! I'm so happy that you see the hummingbird on your plant! In my yard, it is definitely their favorite. They come and go up and down each stalk sipping at every little flower. It's amazing!