Firecracker Bush is a hummingbird and butterfly magnet from April through November--or it would be if the hummingbirds hadn't migrated by October.
A few years ago I planted three Firecracker bushes outside my office window. They now take up 36 square feet of steep slope. The stems grow about six feet long, arching up three feet and then leaning down to the ground. New plants grow where they touch.
Drought tolerant, deer-resistant, doesn't require winter pruning. Firecracker is hardy within zones 8B-10 and evergreen except in record winters.
Ernest likes them too --or maybe just the hummingbirds they bring to his window...
Copyright 2009-2011 Kathleen Scott, for Hill Country Mysteries. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.