Pride of Barbados, Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Thank you.

Thank you. I did ask my brother to gather some of the dried pods. I hope they can grow here. I am in South Central Virginia and it was a scorching 89 degrees here today. are they annuals or perennials?

In a tropical climate (or very mild subtropical) it's a woody perrenial. In a temperate climate like yours it is an annual or tender perennial . in other words, a very mild winter might kill it to the ground and it will come back in spring and a cold winter will kill it outright. In a frost free environment its a shrub. I don't know the exact temperatures at which it dies to the ground or outright .

thank you for the help. It usually gets down to about 25 here in December through February. Although we did have some cold snaps down to 4 and 10 degree ranges last year. I wouldn't mind planting the annual again if I had to. although I'll bet that plant in the photo took a long time to get to that size. Can you estimate how old I when might be?

I'm guessing it died back to the ground last winter because Austin saw temperatures in the teens (but for a few hours at a time not days at a time). I've never kept one. Its pretty common here in SA. I'm sure someone else would guess. I think they're pretty vigorous so not as old as you might think

USDA 7 is average minimums between 0 and 10 - it will often be too cold for this item, anywhere that is the correct zonal designation.

they're pretty vigorous so not as old as you might think

Yes.

Mine did take 2 years to bloom when grown from seed. You could start them in a pot the first year and then transplant into the ground the second year. They like it hot and fairly dry. Too much moisture will kill them. Probably not the best fit for your climate, but most gardeners I know love a challenge!

So...My brother did not get the seed pods because he said they stunk. But I showed this to a new gardening friend I met the very next day and he has ordered some seeds to share. I may post again next year to present results of this experiment. Fingers crossed!

It grows all over Austin.