“Big Bat Face” Cuphea llavea has been blooming since it was planted in June. The hummingbirds love it!
Have you ever grown “cigar plants?” They are one of my favorite groups of plants to grow as annuals, self sowers, and perennials.
Though many of these bloom all summer long, fall is when they really come to life. Maybe it is light or the abundance of flowers, but for autumn interest, Cuphea is a must grow!
Another awesome thing about Cuphea is there are a lot to choose from! There are approximately 260 species within the genera Cuphea which are part of the Lythraceae plant family. That family also includes crape myrtles and pomegranates!
6 different varieties all growing in southern, full sun exposure in my 2020 Foodscape from Big Bloomers
Until today I had no idea that Cuphea are native to the temperate and tropical regions of North and South America. That is yet another reason to include these high impact plants- they are “native”!
The many Cuphea species range from low-growing herbaceous plants to semi-woody shrubs that grow upwards of 6’+ tall! Full to part sun is best... I grow most of mine in southern exposure which has provided a microclimate enabling a few tender species to successfully overwinter!
What varieties do I grow and WHERE do you buy them??? This year I have 6 different species (listed below) and all came from my favorite garden center of all time Big Bloomers Flower Farm. Never been? OMG you should make this a priority ASAP. People in the know come from hundreds (maybe thousands) of miles away to go shopping at this extraordinary grower/ retailer.
The nomenclature of Cuphea seems a bit mixed up to me, to the best of my knowledge, here are the species that I have growing in my 2020 foodscape:
Cuphea blepharophylla
Cuphea cyanea
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Cuphea ignea
Cuphea llavea
Cuphea micropetala
Cuphea blepharophylla “Eye-lash leafed Cuphea”
I originally bought a four pack of these a few springs ago. They were bright pink and grew great in full sun. To my extreme pleasure, the next season they self sowed and I ended up with a wide variety of colors including this pale lavender. Each year I leave them through frost to ensure they will self sow the following spring.
Cuphea cyanea “Pink Cigar Cuphea”
This is my first year growing this species and I am in love. It is a very small statured plant- probably better suited for a container than planted in the ground. I have a line of 12 growing along a south facing edge and they are constantly covered in pollinators. I am curious to see if these will self sow- time will tell! They are rated to be hardy in zone 10, so I don’t expect they will overwinter as plants!
Cuphea hyssopifolia “Mexican Heather”
I have always adored this plant and when i saw this yellow leaf form I bought 6 so I would be assured to make a statement. They have bloomed ALL SUMMER in west facing, full sun. Next year I need more- like maybe 24 so I can really make a visual impact while supplying pollinators with all the nectar they could ever need!
Cuphea ignea “Cigar Plant”
This was the first Cuphea I ever grew- twenty years ago- and is responsible for my general obsession with this genus. There is never a day this isn’t in bloom, and therefore there is never a moment that bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, moths and more aren’t hovering around it. I like to pair this ‘Alabama Sunset’ coleus, and use that combo in key areas of my garden, like corners to cause visitors to stop in their tracks in awe!
Cuphea llavea “Big Bat Face”
This is my all-time favorite cuphea, and honestly may be my favorite summer blooming plant. I wanted to name our newest kitten Cuphea, for this plant, because when she was a baby she looked like she had a bat face! (I lost and she is named Ava Grace for well packaged but not good tasting canned wine :) Also, Ava is for Avena, the botanical name of oats, her favorite toy.) Anyhow, this plant never stops blooming and grows to a perfect size- about 2.5’ tall and wide. The hummingbirds and butterflies are always on it. I recommend planting at least 12- if not 50. I promise you won’t regret incorporating this into your sunny borders.
Cuphea micropetala “Candy Corn”
The common name pretty much says it all. It looks like candy corn AND it blooms in late October, just in time for Halloween! I didn’t expect this to a perennials, so I planted it, like all the others, right along a south facing edge. Low and behold, it came back, and over the past 5 years has gotten larger and larger. Though it is not appropriate as an edge plant, I am not going to move it- instead I am going to extend the bed ;)
Cuphea
Add it to your 2021 wish list. Buy them all and ENJOY!