PlantFiles: Firecracker Plant, Coral Plant, Coralblow, Fountain Plant
Russelia equisetiformis

Once you enter my clinic it is there to welcome everybody with its never vanishing Red bloom--here in India it blooms through out the year. I dont remember ever seeing it without bloom--It grows to waist height and i have been using it as a live fence. I support the plants in a row with two stripes of bamboo on both sides. soon the bamboos are hidden by the growth. It overflows on the pathway giving a beautiful look

I need help with this plant. It seems I am the only one who can't grow it with ease.
Within a week of purchasing in a gallon pot, the lush stems die and turn brown. Some of the stems are still there -- the thicker ones, and some of the thin ones. But I don't know why. I had it in mostly shade for a couple of days after purchase until I got it planted into a container. Watered well, but then it started dying before the second week when I was ready to water again.

This is a beautiful plant. I noted that it is listed as growing in Fort Worth, TX. I live in the area and have tried to winter them several times and never had one live through. When planted after the danger of frost, they grow very rapidly and thrive in our summer climate.

This plant was mislabled when I bought it so, I had no idea what to expect. I live in S.California and have it planted on the south east side of a hill right next to a retaining wall. The plant has grown over 6ft tall and maybe 2x's that wide. Ive only had it for a year and a half, hardly ever fertalizing. I think it likes the good drainage. I went to give it a good trimming but the local hummingbird that was not happy about me being there. He squaked at me upclose so I left and just let it do its thing. I have to say late autumn when nothing else is blomming, it is a nice surprize.

This "firecracker" plant is dynamite! I live in zone 5, Kansas, so must overwinter it in my house. Outside in summer, in as much sun as I can give it, it thrives, blooms, and puts on quite a display!

I grow it in at least a gallon size pot for ease of taking into the house in fall. Very little if any fertilizer needed. The biggest drawback I have with it is never to let it dry out. I have lost russelia by letting it become too dry.

Inside, during the winter, it will flower sparingly if in a bright location. When taking it outside in spring, you don't need to be as careful of sun burn as you do with many other plants.

It has never self seeded--and never started from a stem cutting. I'm glad to have that information as now I'll start my own.

This plant is a real winner in my book!

This plant also grows beautifully in the south of Portugal. Mine had a first year of looking rather weedy and stringy, a tough winter with much more than our usual share of freezing nights and then this year has taken off and been blooming abundantly since May. Can't wait to see how it carries through the winter.

I ordered this plant in July of this year from Sweet Nectar Nursery. Since it was so late in the season, Susan didn't have much left and she apologized that the plant was small. That was ok as I was going to have to overwinter it inside anyway since I live in western NY. Well I potted it in a small hanging basket and left it to its own devices except for watering it as I didn't expect much growth this year. It has nearly filled the small hanging basket and as of Sept. 9th has its first bloom. This was a very pleasant surprise. I have been sitting on the fence about ordering this plant for 2 years until I actually saw them while on vacation in Florida this year and fell in love immediately. Now I want several more!

hello every body! I am a new member here at DG and so far I love it , anyway regarding this plant i can say that I just bought a pair of them in hanging baskets they look very nice and they attract humming birds which in the first place that is the reason a bought them for. I am in Los Angeles CA.

This is a wonderful plant for a hanging basket! Since we're in zone 5, and it's a tropical plant, I'm going to try and attempt to take cuttings and overwinter the original plant we have now. If I am unsucessful, I'll still get this plant again next Spring!

I've had this plant growing in the ground next to my fish pond for several years....the pond leaks a bit so the ground where it's at stays damp and the plant apparently loves it. It's in full, hot sun, the ones I've planted in shadier spots don't thrive well, if at all. The ones I've planted where it's drier haven't done well either. We had 2 freezes this past winter, I didn't cover the one big plant and it came through fine. Several of the smaller ones in a different area were covered until the wind blew the covers off during the night but they didn't seem damaged either. Once or twice a year when I get down and clean out the area around it I will pull up numerous runners.....I just stick them in some dirt and they grow.

This is one of my favorite FAVORITE plants.
I grow this in tall pots here in Palm Springs,Ca. (zone 9b).
It never stops growing and never stops blooming. Info on it says it likes dry soil but mine respond best to regular watering. I find after a 'stem' blooms if I cut it back (to the base) I will get more. I like it planted high so the stems can hang over the edge of the pot amd my hummers can get to them. They are hard to find in nurseries (at least here) but ALMOST EDEN (a GREAT nursery) sells them mailorder. Hybridizers are starting to work with them. So far I have them in MANY colors...red,pale yellow,white,orange,pink,coral,salmon and deep yellow.
It is NATURAL for the stems to turn reddish in the hot sun.These plants are not fond of shade,and will not bloom as much (or at all) if not grown in hot sun. My summer temps are 112 (to 121) everyday from May thru Oct. The heat has no affect on them.
This are native to the humid interiors of central Mexico where it is COMMON to see bushes of russelia that are 8 feet tall and as wide. They drive my hummingbirds wild with delight.

I have this plant growing in a pot in Arizona. How do you prune the Coral Plant to get it more bushy? More compact.

Plantings in the Marco Island (FL) area flower beautifully year-round. But gefore I plant, can anyone advise how to thin/prune this fast grower?

I saw some of these fellas looking like a giant green and red waterfall by an old nursery near my new house. I thought wow i'd love some of those, now its just a matter of finding the perfect spot in the yard for them :)

Growing well here in central Louisiana - in shady area. Dies back some if cold snap (zone 8b) but has always come back.

Although this species is said to grow in Zone 9 or higher, I have had two plants in the ground since 2003 here in Zone 8 (coastal South Carolina) without any special mulching or other winter protection. They tend to become dormant shortly after a first frost and do not start to re-grow until well into late April or early May. First blooms appear by late June - early July and last until late September or even until late October. Very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Docturf.

I love this plant. I grow it inground and in pots. Full sun. I remember when I was little seeing hummingbirds visit this plant, but as a grownup I have never seen any hummers visiting.

This is the most indestructable plant I have ever grown. The hummingbirds love it and it blooms almost 24/7/365 for me!

I grew it in the ground and then put it in a pot so that it would cascade over the sides of the pot. The hummingbirds love it. I brought it indoors when we had a cold snap(down to 25 F). In all, a great plant.

I have this plant growing in a container on my patio. It has an arching form and blooms continuously from spring until frost. My hummingbirds LOVE this plant!

I am on the East Coast of Central Florida - Daytona Beach. These plants do die back in the winter if we have a freeze here, but they come right back up when the weather warms up and just bloom all summer long. I have some in full shade and some in full sun and they don't seem to care! I just take a pup and replant it wherever I want them. So far I have reds and 1 white one that I just purchased last week.

I live in Zone 7, and I am using these for container plants on my full sun deck. They love it.

I got this plant last year. It is a beautiful and unusual plant. My plant will grow-out and then die off. It has not bloomed since I bought it, but was blooming when I purchased it. I guess the best way to describe is it doesn't appear to be thriving. I have not repotted it. When I put it in full sun it turned a dark reddish-brown color so I put it back in partial shade and it is green again. I did winter it indoors last year, and I did think it was going to die then.

I like this plant, but it is somewhat invasive here in southwest Florida (U.S.)

It's often used as an understory plant for palms, and it look fabulous as such, owing to the contrast of textures, colors, and growing habit. But if you let it escape in your intended use, you may spend a couple of years getting rid of it.

I have this plant growing outdoors in Sacramento, California (U.S.) for about three years now. It has not spread through seeds - just basically maintains itself with dieback and new growth. Makes a nice, maintenance-free plant that provides a few dramatic sprays in flower arrangements.

I love this plant and don't want it to die, although I live in zone 5a.

I have never owned this plant; however, I have had neighbors who did. (I thought it was a weed!)

It can live in partial sun and will die back in the winter. It comes back with a vengeance the following year!!!

I have propagated this plant with stem cuttings. The ones that did the best were the ones that actually fell over on their side and layered themselves. It took a long time, seems like around three months (during wintertime, though.)

I have had the mother plant for a year. It has bloomed on and off sporadically through the year. I'm in USDA Zone 7, so the plant was outside in the summer and is wintered over in a greenhouse.