Grow figwort as Scrophularia. Red Birds in a Tree is the showy red hummingbird plant for soil that drains. California figwort, also sold as California bee plant, is the moist woodland colony — not a fig tree.
Give Red Birds lean soil that drains, and keep California figwort moist
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Red Birds: full sun to part sun, with afternoon shade in a hot climate. California figwort: part shade; full sun only if you can water | Do not bake Red Birds against a west wall with no shade in high heat |
| Water | Water Red Birds through the first year, then only in a long drought. Keep California figwort in moist ground | Do not leave Red Birds in wet winter soil. Do not let California figwort dry out in sun |
| Soil | Red Birds: lean soil that drains, with gravel or pecan-shell mulch. California figwort: moist loam; clay is fine | Do not mulch Red Birds with bark chips. Do not plant Red Birds in a bog |
| Kind | Red Birds for cherry-red tubes on a dry border. California figwort for a 3- to 6-foot moist colony with small maroon flowers | Do not buy California bee plant as Rocky Mountain beeplant |
| Feed | Skip rich fertilizer on Red Birds | Do not amend Red Birds into a lush plant that fails the first winter |
Read the tag before you water. Red Birds in a Tree wants full sun to part sun and soil that drains. Water it through the first year, then ease off; extra winter wet shortens its life. [1] Red Birds in a Tree is Scrophularia macrantha, with white-lipped red tubes that look like perched birds. California figwort is Scrophularia californica, a 3- to 6-foot rhizome plant for moist ground in part shade, with small maroon flowers and a nectar crop for bees. [2] Inland, give California figwort some shade and a few extra waterings. Clay is fine. Do not eat the leaves. [3]
How much sun does Red Birds in a Tree need?
Give it full sun to part sun. In a hot climate, keep afternoon sun off it.
How wet should California figwort stay?
Keep the soil moist. It is a woodland and stream-edge plant, not a dry xeric figwort.
Does California figwort take dry soil?
No. Keep California figwort moist. Ease off water only on Red Birds after the first year.
Plant at the same depth it grew in the pot
Set the crown at the same depth it grew in the nursery pot. Give California figwort room to run by rhizomes. Give Red Birds about eighteen inches of width so the stems can lean on a neighbor.
- Plant in fall or in spring while the soil is workable.
- Loosen the hole so the roots can spread. If the soil is heavy clay and you are planting Red Birds, mix in grit so water can leave.
- Set the crown at the same depth it grew in the pot. Do not bury the stems.
- Water to settle it. Keep Red Birds from going dry the first year. Keep California figwort moist from the start.
How deep do I plant figwort?
Set the crown at the same depth it grew in the pot. Burying the stems can rot the crown.
When do I plant it?
Plant in fall or in spring while the soil is workable. Water a new Red Birds plant through the first year.
Split a California figwort clump in early spring
California figwort spreads by rhizomes, so a happy clump is the reliable way to make more plants. Lift a piece in early spring and reset it at the same depth, then keep it moist. Red Birds does not run that way; leave that clump in place and let it self-sow if it wants to.
- Lift a California figwort clump in early spring while the soil is moist.
- Cut it into pieces that each have roots and shoots.
- Replant at the same depth and keep the new pieces moist while they take.
When do I divide California figwort?
Split a clump in early spring while the soil is moist. Keep the new pieces watered until they take.
Leave the stalks through winter, then cut them in mid-spring
Leave the dry stalks until new growth shows in spring. They shelter the crown and hold seed for birds. Cut Red Birds back to two or three inches in mid-spring. Cut California figwort in early spring after overwintering insects have left the stems. [4] Do not cut either plant to the ground in fall.
- Leave the stalks standing through winter.
- When new shoots appear, cut Red Birds to two or three inches. Cut California figwort in early spring.
- Rake the cut stems off Red Birds if they would hold winter wet against the crown. On California figwort you can drop them as a mulch beside the clump.
When do I cut figwort back?
Leave the stalks through winter. Cut Red Birds to two or three inches in mid-spring. Cut California figwort in early spring.
Not a fig tree, not Rocky Mountain beeplant, and not bird of paradise
Figwort is Scrophularia, an herbaceous perennial, not a fig tree. A fig is Ficus — see How to Grow Ficus. California bee plant on this tag is California figwort, not Rocky Mountain beeplant or spider flower — see How to Grow Rocky Mountain Beeplant. Red Birds in a Tree is not bird of paradise and not red bird of paradise — see How to Grow Bird of Paradise and How to Grow Bird of Paradise Bush. The two-lipped flowers look a little like penstemon, but penstemon is a different genus — see How to Grow Penstemons.
Is figwort the same as a fig tree?
No. Figwort is Scrophularia. A fig tree is Ficus.
Is California bee plant the same as Rocky Mountain beeplant?
No. California bee plant is Scrophularia californica. Rocky Mountain beeplant is Cleome.
Site Red Birds on soil that drains and water it the first year. Keep California figwort moist, and cut both in spring.
FAQ
Is Red Birds in a Tree a different plant?
Red Birds in a Tree is Scrophularia macrantha, the showy red plant for soil that drains. California figwort is Scrophularia californica, the moist woodland colony.
What about Cardinale Red?
Cardinale Red is a shorter Red Birds form, not a second species on this list. Give it the same lean soil that drains.
Can I grow figwort in a pot?
It is a garden perennial, not a houseplant. A large outdoor pot can work if the mix drains for Red Birds, or stays moist for California figwort.
Can I grow it from seed?
Red Birds may self-sow in lean soil. California figwort seed is less dependable than a divided clump. Sow on the surface and keep the mix barely moist.
Does figwort stay green in winter?
Red Birds dies to the crown. California figwort can hold leaves in a mild winter and then dies back after a hard frost. New shoots come in spring.
Is it safe around pets?
Do not eat the leaves, and keep pets from chewing them. Do not make tea from this plant.
Recommended plants
References
- [1] High Country Gardens -
https://www.highcountrygardens.com/products/perennial-scrophularia-macrantha-red-birds-in-a-tree - [2] SLV Habitat Restoration Program -
https://slvhabitatrestoration.org/native-plant/california-bee-plant/ - [3] Las Pilitas Nursery -
https://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/626--scrophularia-californica - [4] Gardening Know How -
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/figwort/scrophularia-red-birds-plant.htm
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors