A Hummingbird Favorite – Hummingbirds and Gardeners Agree…

Flame anisacanthus, this plant is a winner! Once you have one, you’re probably not going to want to garden without it again. At least not in the southern two-thirds of Texas.

The facts about this great little plant…
• Native to the Hill Country and southwest into Mexico.
• Grows in calcareous, rocky outcroppings.
• Grows to 4 to 5 ft. tall and wide in South Texas; not that tall in North Texas where it frequently freezes to the ground and regrows from its roots (acting more like a perennial).
• Root-hardy to Dallas/Fort Worth and the I-20 corridor and southward. May be lost in extreme winters (like 2021!) toward the north end of its range.
• Handles full Texas sun, heat and relatively dry conditions.
• Blooms for many weeks in the summer.
• Its small, tubular flowers are hummingbird magnets.

I’m a big fan of understated plants that do their jobs without calling out a lot of attention to themselves. Plants like Mexican heather and fall aster really excite me, and so does this one. It’s just a little shrub until it suddenly bursts into bloom – and then just look at what you have!