Two cupheas: ‘Vermillionaire’, Proven Winners’ firecracker plant, a two-foot mound of orange tubes from spring to frost; and Mexican heather ‘Cubano Cristo’, the fine-leaved low mound with tiny lavender flowers. Heat-lovers both.
Cupheas are the small-flowered Mexican and Central American plants that earn their keep in an Arizona summer: ‘Vermillionaire’ carries hundreds of inch-long orange-red tubular flowers from March until frost, hummingbirds hanging off it all day, on a tidy two-foot mound that never needs deadheading. Mexican heather is the other end of the scale — a fine-textured foot-high mound of tiny leaves and lavender flowers that edges a bed or fills a pot and asks for almost nothing.
We commonly carry ‘Vermillionaire’ and Mexican heather ‘Cubano Cristo’. Both are frost-tender; Mexican heather usually returns from the base. The rest of the color tables are on our Annual Flowers & Foliage page.
These are the cuphea varieties we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
An improved cigar plant (Cuphea ignea hybrid) with far more flowers than the species: orange-red tubes tipped yellow and black on a 24-inch mound, spring to frost, self-cleaning. Full sun to afternoon shade.
Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Cubano Cristo’: a compact Mexican heather with fine dark leaves and tiny lavender-purple flowers year-round in mild weather; 12–18 inches. Edging and pots.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
Set out from mid-March, after frost, through September; both establish quickly in warm soil. ‘Vermillionaire’ blooms from planting until the first frost in late November; Mexican heather flowers in every mild month and pauses briefly in the coldest weeks.
Regular in summer: every two to three days in beds and daily in pots for ‘Vermillionaire’, which wilts when dry and drops buds; every three to four days for Mexican heather, which is more drought-tolerant once established. Weekly for both in the cool months. Well-drained soil; neither likes a wet crown in winter.
Both are damaged by frost. Mexican heather usually dies back and returns from the base by April — cut the dead top off in February. ‘Vermillionaire’ is less reliable; cover it on frost nights under a patio roof or treat it as an annual and replant in spring.
Full sun to afternoon shade. ‘Vermillionaire’ flowers most in full sun with regular water and tolerates the reflected heat of a pool deck; in a west-facing pot, afternoon shade reduces watering. Mexican heather prefers afternoon shade in summer and burns in full west sun.
A balanced fertilizer every three to four weeks in the growing season. ‘Vermillionaire’ is self-cleaning; if it gets leggy in July, cut it back by a third and it refills in three weeks. Shear Mexican heather lightly after each flush and harder in February.
Nearly pest-free. Spider mites on Mexican heather in a hot dry corner; hose them off. Flea beetles occasionally on ‘Vermillionaire’. Both are non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Snap a photo of the spot — sun direction, wall color, pot size — and we’ll pick a season-correct combination with you. Advice is free.
Annuals succeed or fail on what’s under them. We stock planting mix and compost for beds, potting mix for containers, bloom fertilizers including Tony’s Magic Mix and Magic Flower, starter fertilizer, drip fittings and frost cloth for the cold nights. The pottery yard has glazed and terracotta pots from 4-inch to whiskey-barrel size, window boxes and hanging baskets, and soil and mulch is sold by the bag or by the yard.
Mid-March through September, once frost is past. Both love warm soil and bloom through summer.
Yes — full sun with regular water gives the most flowers. Afternoon shade only helps a pot in a west exposure.
‘Vermillionaire’ every two to three days in beds and daily in pots through summer; Mexican heather every three to four days once established. Weekly in the cool months.
Mexican heather usually returns from the roots in spring. ‘Vermillionaire’ sometimes survives under a patio roof with cover; most people replant it.
‘Vermillionaire’ is one of the best hummingbird plants we sell, blooming for nine months. Mexican heather draws bees and butterflies.
Yes, non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Cuphea live on the annuals tables; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.