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Thefirecracker works – Russelia Equisetiformis [ russ - SEEL - lee - uh Johann Maier Eck - kwiss - see - tiff - FORmiss ] is a recurrent works eccentric often used as an cosmetic shrub .
It ’s from the Plantaginaceae family along withLophospermum plantsand hails from Mexico .
Firecracker plant with its red tubular flowers growing in full sun. – Image PlantCareToday.com
This firecracker plant is a weeping subshrub in the style of the Weeping Willow , its long stem arch and dangle with scale - corresponding leaves like to the limbs of a Weeping Willow tree diagram .
Other common names let in :
The genus name of the plant is in honor of English eighteenth - hundred physician Dr. Alexander Russell .
Firecracker plant with its red tubular flowers growing in full sun. – Image PlantCareToday.com
The firecracker bush receive the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit in 1993 .
The specific epithet , equisetum , think of horsetail and concern to the plant ’s growth habit .
Coral Fountain is kept as a houseplant in the wintertime but must be moved outdoors into the sunshine for the summertime to love the best - blooming performance and as a treat for pollinator .
Unless you live in a class - round quick climate , ask to overwinter it indoors .
instead , establish it as an yearbook in frosty area .
Firecracker Plant Quick Care Tips
NOTE : The Crossandra that will grow in lots of light is known as theFirecracker flower .
Firecracker Bush Care
Size and Growth
This arch form works can maturate 3′ – 6′ feet high in full Lord’s Day with long arching stems of 6′ foot .
The rush - like bright green stems start out erect and then pass over into showy cascade .
The non - descript foliage look something like an Asparagus Fern .
Flowering and Fragrance
Fire cracker plant life ’s firecracker - mold red tubular flower come in shades of white , scarlet , orange , and coral .
Its beautiful flower colouring and growth pattern look volatile !
They ’re attractive to pollinators of all sorts , but they are especially tempt to hummingbirds .
The single red tubular flowers are about 1″ inches longsighted and grow thickly over the entire plant .
The flowers grow so thickly you often can not see the sparse , asparagus - like foliage .
Its blossom clip is from late spring throughout the summertime and into the autumn in tropical and semi - tropical climates .
The Tubular flowers transition into small , inconspicuous fruits and hang in clusters .
Light and Temperature
Hummingbird Plant can abide fond shade but performs honorable in full sun , which brings out the most blooms .
However , in part shade , this plant wo n’t produce as many flower .
Coral Fountain does best in temperatures swan from 65 ° – 75 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( 18 ° snow – 24 ° C ) .
In addition , it can also permit cold temperature . However , it ’s sensitive to temperatures below 41 ° degrees Fahrenheit .
It ’s winter hardy in the USDA zona or hardiness zone 9B through 11 .
It will not survive freezing temperatures .
Water Needs and Feeding
Keep pyrotechnic plant well - watered until they are well - establish .
Once mature , it is drouth - patient of and can stomach dry spells .
Water this drouth - resistant spring plant regularly throughout the growing season , but allow the soil to dry out out between tearing .
Fertilize biweekly throughout spring and summer using a half - specialty dilution of balanced liquid fertilizer .
As winter approaches and it fuck off stale , bring your works indoors .
Put it in a quick sunny window , abbreviate watering , and do not fertilize until springtime .
Soil and Transplanting
Russelia firecrackers thrive in almost any type of soil . Once demonstrate , the root ball and root system do not wish being upset .
It ’s large-minded of sandlike , loamy , mud , or chalk ground textures and can do well with pH storey grade from alkaline to acid .
To develop Coral plants as container plants , use a stock potting admixture and tot sand or perlite to cater good drainage .
you may also provide soil microbes and necessary organic matter to meliorate the soil .
Grooming and Maintenance
dress your plant regularly throughout the fountain or late winter to attain or keep up the desired form and remove any dead growth .
When stems end up efflorescence , prune them back to boost more growth and blossom .
At the end of wintertime , prune the plant back to a very short size of it .
This help keep it minor and shapely .
How To Propagate The Firecracker Plant
Creating new plants is done through propagate via stem tip cuttings taken in the springtime .
or else , utilize a layering proficiency .
To propagate from thinning :
To spread through layering :
Coral Plant Pest or Disease Problems
Russelia plants go through no serious disease or dirt ball pests as long as it ’s not overwatered and receives the right amount of sunlight .
If it ’s not move over the correct environment , it may be open to root rot and attacks from wanderer mites , caterpillars , mealy bug , and nematodes .
you could eliminate these insect pests by spraying neem oil solutions .
Is Russelia Equisetiformis Toxic or Poisonous?
There is no evidence the plant is toxic .
Is Russelia Invasive?
fervency cracker works is incursive in places like Florida , where it can naturalize .
Suggested Uses for Coral Fountain Plant
The Coral Firecracker works is an exceptionally various industrial plant you should use in hanging basketful , container , planters , window loge , or singularly as an accent or specimen plant life in a garden layer .
The coral - ruby colouring material of its tubular flowers is sensational when used in aggregative plantings around decks . The flora ’s impassioned scarlet blooms are also first-class in draw in hummingbirds and butterflies .
It ’s also an excellent selection grown alongside rock and roll gardens or shed over fence , retaining walls , and borders in full sun .
Train the plant to develop up a treillage by tying its stems to support .
Firecracker plants are also an splendid pick to plant along the verge of streams and pond . It ’s salt tolerant , so it ’s an fantabulous addition to a seaside garden .
