Firecracker Plant

Yellow firecracker flowers

Yellow firecracker, Russelia equisetiformis 'Aureus'

Firecracker plant is a small plant that can have an explosive impact in your garden, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.

Its narrow, soft leaves give it a fine texture in the landscape, making it a great contrast to broad-leaf plants. Firecracker plant typically blooms year-round with a profusion of red, tubular flowers. Yellow and salmon forms are also available.

Firecracker plant can reach three to four feet tall and six or more feet wide, so be sure to give it room to sprawl. However, it is a tender plant, so be sure to cover it when cold weather strikes. Or you can let it freeze back and see if it rebounds in the spring.

This Florida-Friendly plant is relatively pest-free and somewhat drought tolerant, although it will flower better with regular irrigation. It can handle some shade, but prefers full sun.

A plant with fine, needle-like foliage and many red, long tubular flowers

Red firecracker plant. Photo by John Tann, all rights reserved.

UF/IFAS Publications

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