Sultry, I was going to say the Turk's cap also. The red variety is flowering all over the place on the trail by my house.

Silvia

That's it! Oh, thank you guys!! I knew someone here would know what it was. I've been admiring this shrub for a few years now. I think it gets some protection from the Live Oak its under. It gets enough sun to bloom even though its shaded part of the day. One year it from back quite a bit and returned just as full.

I could use some carefree blooming shrubs for partial shade here. This does put out the best display around Nov/Dec but also flowers several other times during the year.

Off to hunt one (or three) down lol. I bet they would grow from cuttings easily, once I get a few growing.

Its great that the bees love it! I have seen humming birds buzz around the one pictured but don't know if they actually drank from it. I've been trying to get more plants for bees, birds, and butterflies.

~Sjn

They grow very easy from cuttings. I got my original red one a few years ago from cutting of a plant growing next to the side walk on Barnard Street in historic Savannah (I need to get back there and visit again, I miss Savannah in Dec). This is 3 planted around a palm tree in my yard back in 2015. Get cut back hard every year and grows right back wide and tall. I like that it flowers strong Nov-Dec since my hummers over winter around my yard.

Mealy bugs seem to enjoy it also, at least in my yard.

Wow that is gorgeous! Good to know it grows easily from cuttings. I plan to spread them out in several areas.

Sultry, I have the light pink if you would like cuttings. PM me your address unless you’re near Lithia

Be careful with this plant. It grows very wide and will get huge in the right conditions. I have several and I have to keep cutting them back to keep them from overwhelming the plants around them. Hummingbirds do visit them, but they are not what I would call a top tier hummer plant.

Tom123...another thing I noticed with this plant. Once a year about midway through the summer rains, it toppled and I had to give it a hard pruning to prop it upright. Maybe I should have kept it trimmed back, maybe it’s just in a mushy location or maybe it’s just is shallow rooted. Do you have any experience with this?

Nope, mine just keep growing and growing, wanna run. It's a sprawling plant. I want it to go up, but it wants to go sideways. I had a pretty pink one that I finally just dug up, because it was crowding out too many other plants. Hummers and butterflies like flowers that are pretty high up. This plant has many flowers, but many of them are close to the ground.

One interesting thing that I noticed was that bees and hummers often fed at the base of the flower, rather than sticking their beaks into the flowers.

I have one of these where the flowers are upright, instead of hanging down. The problem is that this plant in the midst of a several large hamelia patens (firebushes) that don't give it much room.

I remember Turk's Cap hedges along dry alleyways when I was a child in St. Pete in the '40s-'50s. We would pull the flower off the bush and suck the juice. We made tiny dolls using the flower as the dress, a twig run through the top for arms (like a scarecrow), and an Australian Pine "cone" for head. During recess at school, the red flower was a source of color for "making ice-cream" during recess at school: sitting on a concrete curb, we would grind the flower and tiny soft rocks on the curb with a rock, dampen with water, juice, or milk, and create a smear of color.

When I was a kid we also would suck the nectar from the base of the flower. It was a great treat on a hot summer day while playing.

Thanks wanna run that's so sweet but I did already order some :) I also saw that there is a variegated version of these. Anyone grow those?

Wow, they must have a lot of nectar in them, like honeysuckle blooms or something, if one can actually drink the juice from the flower lol. I will have to try that when I get some growing. No way am I gonna go do it to the shrub I saw growing, although its tempting..they will prob think I'm some pycho out there drinking their flowers lol.

~Sjn

Well, when you're a kid, it doesn't take much to tickle your sweet tooth!