Note: Cuphea make great year round houseplants. Depending on the weather, you can also place potted Cuphea plants out on your balcony or in your garden.
Is Cuphea an outdoor plant?
As an evergreen shrub (in warmer climates). A good addition to a pollinator garden or hummingbird haven. (See more plants that attract hummingbirds.) In colder climates, potted cuphea can be moved indoors in the fall and grown in a warm, sunny location as a houseplant.
Where is the best place to plant Mexican heather?
Plant Mexican heather in a sunny or partially sunny spot with well-drained soil and feed with a slow-release granular fertilizer at planting time. Mexican heather likes to be watered whenever the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch.
Will Mexican heather survive winter?
Mexican Heather will not tolerate freezing temperatures, but will reemerge after mild winters. A layer of mulch around its crown helps to protect its roots from winter damage. Containers can be brought inside for winter protection. We do, however, think that new spring plantings still look and perform best each year.
Is Cuphea an indoor plant? – Related Questions
Does Mexican heather turn brown in winter?
This can happen both during summer heat and winter dryness. Scorch results in dried leaves with yellow or brown margins and discolored patches between veins. Combat this by watering Mexican heather deeply but infrequently to encourage the formation of deep roots.
Do cuphea come back every year?
Throughout most of the country, cuphea is grown as an annual, but in frost-free regions it is perennial in nature. Cuphea forms a busy mound layered with nectar-rich flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies.
How cold can cuphea tolerate?
Grown as an annual in much of the country, bat-faced cuphea is evergreen to the upper 20s°F and root hardy to the lower 20s°F. In some areas, it will die to the ground and – with heavy mulching – grow back from the roots.
Does Mexican heather do well in pots?
Mexican heather isn’t picky about nutrients or soil composition, but it will do best in well-draining soil rich in organic matter. Alternatively, you can plant Mexican heather in pots with good drainage to grow the plants outdoors for the summer and move them indoors as houseplants during colder months.
Will Mexican heather grow in full sun?
Culture: Average, well-drained soil with full sun to light shade is fine in most areas. In hot climates, partial shade can help to keep the foliage from fading.
How long will Mexican heather last?
This small, evergreen perennial grows to be just 10 to 18 inches tall, and its flat, feathery leaves spread out and extend from its main stems. Flowers usually appear in springtime, and they can last throughout the summer and into the fall.
Does Mexican heather bloom in winter?
A small plant that will bloom in mid-summer until fall. A very hardy plant that produces small but profuse flowers even in the Southwest heat. Mexican Heather plant will go dormant when temperatures dip below 32° degrees Fahrenheit.
How do you overwinter Cuphea?
Water as needed to keep the soil slightly moist. Add artificial light to improve the plants health and vigor if the plants are suffering from the reduced light of shorter often gray winter days. You can either move potted plants indoors or start new plants from cuttings.
Can heather survive winter?
Heather is a low-maintenance shrub that adds color to a landscape between flowers and striking fall foliage. This perennial is winter hardy but needs extra protection in zones 4 – 7. Plants grown in zone 8 may need less care but should still be protected from extreme cold temperatures.
Does Mexican heather multiply?
The Mexican heather or false heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia) is easy to multiply. You can divide it by digging up a whole plant, cutting it in half vertically with a sharp knife and replanting the two halves.
Does heather grow back every year?
But they don’t regenerate well if you cut back into old wood, so it’s usually best to replace them every few years. Tree heathers, on the other hand, respond well to hard pruning, so if they become overgrown they can be rescued.
Does Mexican heather reseed itself?
Propagation. Mexican heather plants are known to self-seed readily and for this reason, they can spread uncontrollably if left unchecked. They can also be propagated by taking cuttings.
How do you care for Cuphea hyssopifolia?
Tolerates many soil types but requires ample moisture to become established in full sun or semi-shade. Prefers well-drained fertile soils with frequent light fertilizations. When plant becomes scraggly, tips can be pinched to incorporate vigour and to attain lush growth and more blooms.
How big do Cuphea get?
The plant tends to grow to 2 feet tall and wide in a rounded shape with multiple stems and is evergreen in warm climates or indoors. Use as a border plant, along walkways or as a container plant on patios or indoors.
Are Cuphea poisonous?
Cigar plant is not known to be toxic to humans, fish, dogs, or any other animals. In fact, its oils can be used in cooking, though this can prove to be difficult due to small seeds and slippery seed pods that literally eject seeds rather than simply dropping them.
Does Cuphea need sun?
Full Sun – Prefers 6 or more hours of sun per day. Half Sun – Prefers 3 To 6 Hours of Sunlight a Day. Semi Frost Hardy – Is Able to Survive Moderately Low Temperatures. Moderate Watering – Requires Regular Watering.
