cigar flower
Cuphea ignea
RHS AGM 1993
USDA zones10 to 12
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size1.5 to 2.5 feet tall1.5 to 2.5 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Dense
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Red
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Cigar flower (Cuphea ignea) is a shrub for borders, containers, cottage gardens, and pollinator gardens. It grows outdoors year-round in USDA zone 10 and warmer, down to about 30°F (-1°C). In colder areas, grow it as a houseplant or bring it indoors for winter. This plant likes full or part sun and average to moist, sandy, loamy, or chalky soil. It blooms in red through spring, summer, and autumn. Butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and birds visit the flowers.
Pairs well with Mexican bush sage, Gentle Hermione rose, and Holly fern.
Native range
South America.