What plant comes to mind when you hear “Hummingbird Plant”? Bignonia? Lobelia? Salvia? Agastache? Cuphea? Monarda? The list goes on and on. Whenever we want to describe a flower’s attractiveness to pollinators, somehow we throw the label “hummingbird” on it. That is what persuaded me to purchase Dicliptera erecta, now known as Dicliptera squarrosa, whose common name is (you guessed it!) Hummingbird Plant. It is also called “Firecracker Plant,” “King’s Crown,” or “Wooly Honeysuckle.”
Dicliptera (pronounced dye-CLIP-ter-uh) is a perennial with fuzzy gray-green foliage. It is not particular as to soil type, but requires good drainage and full sun to part sun. In one season, it will grow to two feet or so, and about three feet wide. It is impervious to heat and drought. The deep orange flowers start blooming in mid-summer and bloom until frost. Cut off stems at ground level after the first hard freeze, and it will return the following spring in zones 7 to 11. Grow it an annual in cooler zones. Dicliptera can be propagated from softwood stem cuttings in spring. Use care to avoid over-watering cuttings or mature plants, as wet soil will cause root rot.
Dicliptera attracts hummingbirds and butterflies by the score. The plants are upright, making it easy to squeeze them in among other flowers. It is particularly well-suited to xeriscaping or pollinator gardens. If you are planning a nectar garden for next year, check out this list from Clayton State University, located in Morrow, Georgia. Any combination of these will bring bees and butterflies.
The vivid orange flowers of Dicliptera are the siren’s call to butterflies and hummingbirds.