Vermillionaire Plant (Cuphea ‘Vermillionaire’) adds an eye-catching pop of orange to mixed containers and garden beds, drawing the eye of hummingbirds year-round with its tubular bright orange flowers, which bloom continuously from spring until frost. Easy to grow and tolerant of heat and humidity conditions, the Vermillionaire Plant should be included as part of any pollinator garden!
Blooms continuously
Cupheas ‘Vermillionaire’ (commonly called the large firecracker plant) produces vibrant and profuse blooms, drawing pollinators such as hummingbirds in abundance. This perennial plant can easily tolerate heat and drought conditions and is an excellent addition to sunny garden beds or containers.
If the flowers of your millionaire plant are withering away, there may be many causes. Perhaps your plant requires more water; in such instances, use rainwater or spring water from room temperature sources. Water the soil until saturated but no standing water remains on its surface; otherwise, apply a balanced organic liquid or granular fertilizer according to the instructions on its label to avoid overfertilizing it.
Other causes for flower withering include environmental stresses, disease, and insect damage. When exposed to extreme hot or cold weather conditions, flowers will wither away quickly if their plants are left exposed for too long. To protect your plants against this happening again, place them in an indirect sunlight environment, adding mulch on their roots as protection and keeping their temperature down.
Cupheas ‘Vermillionaire’ plants prefer full sunlight but will also tolerate partial shade. While not overly particular about soil pH levels, Cupheas ‘Vermillionaire’ will thrive best in rich, well-drained soil with good drainage; for poorer conditions, amend it with compost or manure to improve texture and structure.
A light layer of mulch can reduce weed competition and even out soil temperatures throughout the year, but be careful to keep it away from plant stems to avoid stem rot. Shredded leaves offer an attractive appearance as they break down over time to enrich soil conditions further.
As with other perennials, the millionaire plant requires consistent moisture for its best growth; however, it will tolerate any missed watering sessions without suffering drastic ill effects. If it becomes leggy, prune to encourage branching and denser growth before winter sets in. Also, be sure to remove dead branches!
Attracts hummingbirds
Are You Searching For Hummingbird-Attracting Plants to Add Color to a Garden, Container, or Flower Bed? An assortment of vibrant hummingbird-attracting plants is available that are easy to grow and will bring joyous buzz from hummingbirds. At the same time, they sip nectar from long tubular flowers in Red, Orange, Yellow, Purple, and Blue colors!
Hummingbirds are drawn to plants with red and orange flowers, though other bright hues will also catch their eye. Hummingbirds especially enjoy visiting perennials like bee balm and columbines that bloom continuously throughout summer, as well as biennials like foxgloves, hollyhocks, or annuals like impatiens, comes, or petunias that bloom continuously during this season – these will all draw them in!
Cuphea ‘Vermillionaire’ (Cuphea hybrid) is an eye-catching perennial with vibrant tubular flowers that bloom all summer, making an eye-catching statement in garden beds or mixed containers and tolerating full sunlight. Also, a fantastic choice is the ‘Midnight Masquerade’ penstemon from hardiness zones 8-10 that attracts hummingbirds with its clusters of small spikes bursting into pink and deep red blooms that draw them in close.
Hummingbirds love perennial plants such as Crocosmia ‘Lucifer,’ with its exotic-looking blooms and tall sword-shaped leaves, while North Carolina native Monarda, commonly referred to as bee balm or Bee Balm, attracts them with vibrant trumpet-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds. Both perennials can tolerate drought conditions as long as their location is sunny.
Catmint is a hardy perennial that attracts hummingbirds while being easy to cultivate, popular among gardeners who use it in mixed containers or borders with perennials. Many gardeners enjoy using catmint in mixed containers or borders with perennials as it features various colors for accent. Proliferating in warm soils and rapidly blooming each summer. Another favorite among gardeners is Salvia spp family’s variety of hardy and tender species that draw hummingbirds, such as Proven Winners(r) Rockin’ Golden Delicious, which blooms all summer with bright yellow blooms!
Tolerant of heat and humidity
Cuphea ‘Vermillionaire,’ called Large Firecracker Cuphea, is an annual or perennial thrives in warm climates and blooms profusely year-round in containers or flowerbeds. Drought-tolerant and reaching 18 to 28 inches tall and wide when matured, it attracts hummingbirds and butterflies with its mounding growth habit and deep green color with lance-shaped leaves; it adds vibrant orange blooms that look stunning when combined with other purple-flowered plants such as petunias or Angelonias or alternanthera or red-flowered Lantanas or red-flowered Lantanas or deep purple foliaged plants such as alternanthera or red-flowered Lantanas.
It prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade conditions if there is enough light. To optimize results, plant it in a sunny mixed bed or container where its orange hue will be an eye-catching accent against other flowers and colors. Regular fertilization will promote continuous blooming. Deadheading should only be done occasionally to maintain blooming rates that exceed expectations and to encourage continual reblooming of this perennial plant.
Cupheas require consistently moist soil yet are forgiving if one or two watering sessions are skipped. Cupheas also benefit from being doused with liquid fertilizer at least every four weeks during their growing season or three to four weeks post-germination (or once every month during dry weather conditions). Fertilizer applications should occur 3-4 weeks post-germination or monthly during this growth phase.
Mulch can help to control weed growth while helping maintain an even soil temperature throughout the year. Shredded leaves make an attractive mulch choice with added health benefits as it break down into your soil over time.
If your vermillionaire plant has stopped blooming, it could be experiencing light or heat stress. It could also indicate it needs more shade or water; you could prune in mid-summer to keep it from becoming leggy and promote reblooming; in harsh climates, remove old leaves and bring your millionaire indoors for overwintering.
Easy to grow
Cuphea ‘Vermillionaire’ is a Proven Winners hybrid that thrives in zones eight to eleven. Reminiscent of perennial firecracker plants, it adds vibrant orange hues that bring mixed plantings alive while attracting hummingbirds. This annual flower has an upright mounding habit and thrives under heat and humidity conditions without needing deadheading – perfect for sunny garden beds and containers!
