Cuphea Vermillionaire
Best low-maintenance choice for gardeners wanting to attract hummingbirds.
Cuphea Vermillionaire®, also known as the Cigar or Firecracker Plant, is an upright grower celebrated for its profusion of colorful, tubular flowers that are highly attractive to hummingbirds. This Proven Winners® variety features well-branched, mounding habit, making it an excellent choice for containers or garden beds. Native to Mexico and Central America, this low-maintenance plant thrives in heat and is deer resistant. It provides vivid color from summer well into the fall, offering long-lasting visual interest. In colder climates, it is typically grown as an annual.
$10.95
Owner Satisfaction
4.7
/ 5
Category Rank
28
/ 2524
#28 in Flowers
Price vs Category Average
-73%
Below average
Mature Height
1828
/ - inches
Who it's for
- Busy gardeners wanting vibrant color without maintenance
- Wildlife enthusiasts looking to attract hummingbirds
- Homeowners in hot climates with limited water access
Who should skip it
- Budget-conscious gardeners in cooler climates
- Forgetful gardeners struggling with initial plant establishment
- Low-maintenance gardeners who dislike monitoring for pests
Performance breakdown
Pollinator Attraction
Nectar-rich tubular blooms act as a magnet for local hummingbirds.
Heat Tolerance
Thrives in sweltering conditions where other varieties often wilt.
Maintenance Ease
Requires minimal effort to maintain its tidy, well-branched shape.
Bloom Longevity
Provides consistent, vibrant color from early summer through autumn.
Pest Resistance
Reliably deters deer, keeping your garden beds safe from browsing.
Versatility
Adapts perfectly to both container displays and traditional garden beds.
Key Specs
Mature Height
18-28 inches
Spacing
12-18 inches
Genus
Cuphea
Family
Lythraceae
Ships as
1 PINT 28.86 CU IN.
Features
- Highly attractive to hummingbirds due to nectar-rich flowers
- Excellent performance in hot, dry summer conditions
- Upright, well-branched, mounding growth habit
- Long blooming season from June through September
- Low maintenance requirements
- Deer resistant
- Suitable for use in containers and garden beds
What customers say
Customers overwhelmingly celebrate the Vermillionaire's incredible reliability and ease of use. It performs tirelessly, delivering continuous, vibrant color even through intense summer heat, exceeding expectations for a container or garden plant. Gardeners appreciate that it requires minimal fuss while consistently attracting pollinators like hummingbirds. This proven performance makes it a highly valued addition to any sunny space.
Know before you buy
Cuphea Vermillionaire is typically grown as an annual in most climates. It is only perennial in frost-free regions, so you should expect to replant it each spring if you live in a colder area.
For the best results, space your plants 12 to 18 inches apart. This allows enough room for the mounding habit to fill in without overcrowding.
Yes, it is highly effective at attracting hummingbirds. The tubular shape of the flowers is specifically designed to hold nectar that hummingbirds find irresistible.
Absolutely. Its well-branched, mounding habit makes it an excellent candidate for containers, window boxes, or hanging baskets where it can showcase its vivid, long-lasting blooms.
It is a low-maintenance plant that thrives in heat and dry conditions. You will primarily need to ensure it receives adequate water during extreme heat, but it generally does not require deadheading to keep blooming.
This variety is considered deer resistant. While no plant is entirely deer-proof, it is generally not a preferred food source for them.
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$11