Make It Green Garden Center

Welcome to our plant search tool. This database contains many of the thousands of plants that we carry. There are some notable exceptions. Hundreds of new perennials come out every year and Make It Green has been a leader in making them available to you. Eventually the recent introductions will make it to our plant search tool but every year there will be a lag between our in-store plant selection and this search tool. Unfortunately this search tool can't cover everything that we will carry this year. We also carry over 100 varieties of rare and unusual evergreens and over 100 varieties of hard-to-find shrubs many of which are not in the plant search. Click on the Plant List button for a list of nearly all the woody plants (trees, shrubs and evergreens) that we have ordered or already have in stock for this coming year.



annual

Dwarf Firebush*

Hamelia patens 'Compacta'

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Dwarf Firebush (Hamelia patens 'Compacta') at Make It Green Garden Centre

Dwarf Firebush flowers

Dwarf Firebush flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Dwarf Firebush (Hamelia patens 'Compacta') at Make It Green Garden Centre

Dwarf Firebush

Dwarf Firebush

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

* This is a "special order" plant - contact store for details

Height:  3 feet

Spread:  3 feet

Sunlight:  full sun  partial shade 

Hardiness Zone:  (annual)

Other Names:  Scarlet Bush, Firecracker Bush, Hummingbird Bush

Description:

A beautiful Florida native shrub, producing a dense mound of medium green leaves; orange-red and yellow tubular flowers all summer into fall that are loved by hummingbirds; evergreen and much larger growing in frost free climates without pruning

Ornamental Features

Dwarf Firebush features showy cymes of orange tubular flowers with yellow overtones at the ends of the branches from mid spring to mid fall, which emerge from distinctive red flower buds. Its attractive glossy pointy leaves remain green in colour throughout the year. The dark red stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Dwarf Firebush is a multi-stemmed annual with a more or less rounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Dwarf Firebush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

  • Accent
  • Mass Planting
  • General Garden Use
  • Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Dwarf Firebush will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.

Dwarf Firebush is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

 

* This is a "special order" plant - contact store for details

 
 
Hardiness Zone Plant Height Minimum Sunlight
Characteristics
Accent  Massing  Garden  Container 
Applications
Flowers  Foliage Color  Bark  Attracts Wildlife 
Ornamental Features