Whether you call them firecracker plants, cigar plants or cupheas, this is one annual sure to be a dynamite performer in your garden! Cuphea (pronounced “koo-FAY-uh” or “KEW-fee-uh”) has long been grown as a houseplant or greenhouse performer. It’s hardy to USDA hardiness Zone 10 and susceptible to frosts, so most parts of the country grow this fantastic tender perennial as an annual.
Super tall Cuphea micropetala features yellow-orange flowers that are reddish at the base.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
Variegated plants surround this cuphea and help cool down its hot colors.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
The orange-red blooms just sizzle when paired with an orange container!
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
‘David Verity’ is a popular cultivar.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
The two most common species of cuphea grown are Cuphea ignea (ignea is Latin for “fire” and gives us the English word “ignite”) and Cuphea micropetala (meaning small petals). Cuphea ignea grows about a foot tall and wide. The individual orange-red flowers are tubular and quite small, but there are lots of them covering the plant. At the tip of each flower is a ring of stamens (the male parts of the flower), varying from yellow to bluish-brown – the burning end of the “cigar.” Cuphea micropetala is a larger plant. It reaches up to 4 feet tall and has larger flowers that are yellow-orange at the tip and reddish at the base.
When it comes to firecracker plants, the most important thing to remember is that they love good soil! Make sure it’s well-drained with lots of organic matter, and remember to fertilize often (about every 2 weeks during summer). Plant them in full sun – but give them some afternoon shade if you live in a really hot summer climate. Treat these plants well, and they’ll reward you with flowers from frost to frost!
Because they like such good soil (which most of us don’t have), cupheas are often planted in containers and hanging baskets, where soil fertility is easier to control. Like fuchsias, cupheas are also trained as standards – a sort of mini-tree with a trunk and a big powder puff of flowers and foliage at the top. Look for these striking versions at your local garden center.
For knockout color combos, plant cupheas with anything chartreuse. Variegated plants also help cool down the hot colors. Another great way to use cupheas is at the base of red-foliaged cannas – the cupheas can hide your cannas’ legginess and harmonize with the foliage wonderfully. Use a vermilion pot to echo the flower color. However you use them, you’ll find cupheas are surprisingly versatile and can fit into your garden just about anywhere – giving you months and months of flowering beauty all season long!
