Firecracker Plant, (Russelia equisetiformis)
Dan Boudreaux
22 years ago
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Cindy_Mac
22 years agofosterpk_gnt_net
22 years agoRelated Discussions
Russelia equisetiformis (firecracker plant)
Comments (5)I have a bunch growing in about 3/4 sun in large planters in Orange County, where the climate is about the same as the city of San Diego. They are thriving and have been in the planters for about a year. I haven't tried them in shade - I've always thought they liked a lot of sun, and so that is where I have grown them. At the huntington gardens in Pasadena (actually San Marino, which is near Pasadena), they are growing in the ground on a slope that gets a lot of sun, and seem happy there. In Orange County they bloom most of the spring, summer, and fall, but slow down in the winter. They are getting ready to bloom heavily right now....See MoreRusselia equisetiformis - Firecracker plant - cut root ball?
Comments (2)Thank you so much for taking the time to reply with this helpful advice. I'm so excited to have a chance to grow this plant for the hummingbirds and will attempt to overwinter in small greenhouse. Mary...See MoreRusselia equisetiformis (firecracker plant)
Comments (4)I think they will bloom most heavily if you use a combination of time release fertilizer such as Osmocote in the soil, and supplement with a liquid fertilizer to promote blooming during the warmer months, (in San Diego that would probably be starting in mid March thru September, and no fertilizer beyond mid September so that they harden off before winter). If you are closer to the beach and don't ever freeze, you could probably continue to fertilize through the winter. I find if I don't remember to fertilize regularly, they don't bloom as heavily. They also love heat and moisture in combination, which gets them to grow the fastest....See MoreFirecracker Fern, Russelia equisetiformis
Comments (4)In my experience growing this plant, it really just wants lots of summer water and regular fertilizing to bloom well, and more sun is better than too much shade. We don't get any freezes here to kill back foliage, so the older branches can show some dieback after the second or third year, and should be cut back to freshen up the look of the plant. Leaving older flowering portions on the stem the same year it has bloomed does not seem to inhibit further flowering under our local conditions, but lack of water or fertilizer does. We also don't get any extreme heat here which greatly speeds up growth and flowering, as this plant just loves desert/tropical heat as long as it also gets water. It was very successfully used as freeway landscaping in the desert conditions of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when I was working over there....See Morefelda_gnt_net
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