Firebush in Pots – A Large Pot That Drains

Grow firebush in a large pot that drains. Water more often than a bed, and bring the pot in before nights drop near 40 degrees.

Use a large pot that drains, and water more often than a bed

firebush grows and blooms in a large pot with holes. Use potting mix, not garden soil. Water when the top of the mix is dry, because a pot dries faster than a bed, especially in full sun. [1] North of a hard freeze, a pot is how you keep the plant: treat it as a one-season patio shrub, or move it before the cold. [2] Full sun outdoors still makes the flowers. A smoother, smaller kind sold as Compacta or African firebush is often chosen for a patio because it starts shorter, but it can still outgrow a small pot. [3] Heat on the patio is fine. Water when the mix dries, the same way you water a new shrub until it is set, then empty the saucer so the roots do not sit wet. [4]

1. Choose a pot with drainage holes, about 12 to 14 inches across for a patio plant.
2. Fill it with potting mix that drains, not garden soil.
3. Set it in full sun outdoors. Water when the top of the mix is dry, then let the extra water run out.
4. Empty the saucer after watering so the roots do not sit wet.

Bring the pot in before nights drop near 40 degrees

A freeze kills the top, and a frozen root ball kills the plant. Before nights drop near 40 degrees, move the pot to a bright, frost-free room, a garage with a window, or a similar cool indoor spot. Water less indoors, because growth slows. Bring it back out after frost, once nights stay warm.

1. Move the pot indoors before nights drop near 40 degrees.
2. Give it the brightest window you have. Water less than you did on the patio.
3. After frost, set it back outside in full sun, and resume watering when the top of the mix is dry.

Use a large pot with holes, water when the top of the mix is dry, and bring it in before nights drop near 40 degrees.