Grow firebush in full sun and soil that drains. Water a new shrub until the roots take, then it handles heat and dry spells. The Latin is Hamelia patens; some tags say scarletbush.
Give it full sun and soil that drains, and water it until it is set
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Full sun, about 6 hours, for more tubular orange-red flowers | Do not site it in deep shade if you want a heavy bloom |
| Soil | Loam or sand that stays moist and still drains | Do not plant it in a hole that stays soggy after rain |
| Water | Water a new shrub until the roots take, then let dry spells in | Do not keep the roots wet on a weekly calendar after it is set |
| Size | About 8 to 12 feet in a frost-free garden; 2 to 3 feet as a one-season plant | Do not expect a 15-foot screen from a first-year annual |
| Feed | Little or no extra fertilizer once it is growing | Do not push lush, floppy growth with heavy feed |
firebush wants full sun and a hole that drains. Water a new plant through the first heat so the roots take, then ease off. After that, heat and short dry spells are normal, not a crisis. [1] Part shade is tolerated, but flowering thins. [2] In a frost-free garden it can reach about 8 to 12 feet, and taller in South Florida. North of a hard freeze it often dies to the ground and sprouts from the roots in spring, or you grow it as a one-season plant. [3] Skip extra fertilizer. Heavy feed makes weak, floppy stems and fewer flowers. [4]
- Choose full sun, about 6 hours. Light afternoon shade is tolerated, but bloom thins.
- Set it in loam or sand that stays moist and still drains. Skip a low spot that puddles after rain.
- Water a new shrub until the roots take. After that, let the top of the soil dry a little between waterings, then soak again in a long dry spell.
Set a shrub in the ground after frost on Planting Firebush. Cut after a freeze on Pruning Firebush. Start another plant from a stem on How to Propagate Firebush. Keep a patio plant in a pot that drains on Firebush in Pots.
How do you grow firebush?
Give it full sun and soil that drains. Water a new shrub until the roots take, then let dry spells in.
Does firebush need full sun?
Yes, about 6 hours for a heavy bloom. It grows in part shade, but the flowers thin.
Does firebush come back after a freeze?
A freeze can kill the top. Through about zone 9 the roots often send up new stems in spring. North of that, grow it as a one-season plant, or keep it in a pot you can move.
Not burning bush — and not flame acanthus
A shop tag that says firebush or scarletbush is this tropical shrub with tubular orange-red flowers. Burning bush in the nursery is usually Euonymus, a temperate shrub grown for fall color — see How to Grow Euonymus. Hummingbird bush in Texas is often flame acanthus, a smaller deciduous shrub — see How to Grow Flame Acanthus. Pentas, lantana, and cuphea also draw hummingbirds; they are different plants.
Is firebush the same as burning bush?
No. Burning bush is Euonymus. Firebush is Hamelia, a tropical shrub with tubular orange-red flowers.
Is hummingbird bush the same plant?
In Florida and along the Gulf, hummingbird bush often means this plant. In Texas it usually means flame acanthus. Read the Latin on the tag.
Give firebush full sun and soil that drains, water a new shrub until the roots take, then let dry spells in.
FAQ
Is dwarf or African firebush the same plant?
Shops sell a smoother, often yellow-orange kind as African, Compacta, or dwarf firebush. That is still Hamelia, usually a nonnative variety, and it may not stay dwarf. We list one firebush. Read the tag for size, then give it the same sun and drain.
Can I eat the berries?
Birds eat the small dark berries. People rarely use them because of the aftertaste. Do not cook them as a crop, and do not use the sap as a home remedy.
Does it need fertilizer?
Little or none. Water a new shrub until it is set. Extra fertilizer pushes weak stems and fewer flowers.
Will hummingbirds use it?
Yes. The tubular flowers feed hummingbirds and butterflies. Birds also take the berries.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] NC State Extension -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hamelia-patens/ - [2] University of Florida IFAS -
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/firebush/ - [3] University of Florida IFAS -
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP237 - [4] University of Florida IFAS -
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/clayco/2022/08/01/firebush/
This note is part of Hamelia Guides.
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors