How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Hummingbird Bush

Hummingbird bush, Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, is a native shrub that is quickly gaining popularity outside of its native habitat of the west central Texas Edwards Plateau, and for a good reason. The beautiful tubular flowers attract hummingbirds. 

They are also the host shrub of two butterfly species: the crimson patch and Texan crescent butterflies. Adding a butterfly or moth host shrub to your garden will not only end up feeding butterflies but benefit the entire ecosystem. For this reason, they make a fantastic addition to a pollinator-friendly butterfly and hummingbird garden. 

Hummingbird bush begins new growth in the early spring and generally blooms from mid-summer into the fall. It is called flame acanthus because of its vibrant red to red-orange flowers. Not only can hummingbird bush provide a pop of color to your flower beds, but it can also be grown in large pots and hanging baskets. 

Hummingbird bush is a low-maintenance shrub that is not at all picky about soil types. Provide it with enough sun, water, and well-draining soil, and you’ll be adding a beautiful shrub to your garden that hummingbirds love, as well as providing a habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators. 

What is Hummingbird Bush?

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, or hummingbird bush, is known by many common names and is called flame acanthus, Wright’s desert honeysuckle, Texas firecracker, Mexican flame, and Wright’s Mexican flame. Hummingbirds love this bush, a member of the Acanthus family.

Native Area

This native variety is from South Central Texas, West Central Texas, and parts of Mexico. It grows as a perennial in its native habitat and can be grown as such in USDA hardiness zones 7 and above. In colder climates, it is grown as an annual. 

Hummingbird bushes are extremely drought-resistant. This has helped them survive in the growing conditions of southern Texas and Mexico. However, it is somewhat frost-tender and dies back in areas that regularly receive frosts. It thrives in full sun and shade, making an attractive shade bush.

“Wright” refers to American botanist Charles Wright who collected samples of the variety in the mid-19th century. It is generally found on rocky slopes, scrubland, on the Edwards Plateau, and in Mexican pinyon forests.

Characteristics

Hummingbird bush is a profuse bloomer with long bloom periods during which it produces sweet nectar that attracts hummingbirds to your garden like a hummingbird magnet. Trumpet-shaped flowers bloom from mid-summer to fall. They are surrounded by grayish-green or bright-green foliage. 

In late fall, the pollinated flowers produce capsules that have unique structures attached to the seeds. These small hook-like outgrowths are called retinaculums. When the capsule dries, it breaks open, and the retinaculums fling the seeds away, helping it to spread. The seeds are also the favorite snack of songbirds. 

Planting

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, has the same planting notes for many shrubs. To plant it, select a spot that receives at least six hours of sun daily. Dig a hole twice as wide and as deep as the root ball to allow for proper root expansion. Mix the topsoil with compost to add nutrients and improve drainage. Gently loosen the roots before placing it in the hole and backfill, pressing the soil down to remove air pockets.

Water thoroughly after planting and mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

How to Grow

This low-maintenance shrub is easy to care for, especially since it is not picky about soil types. Read on to learn how to provide it with the right amounts of sun, water, and pruning, and it will reward you with blooms that look like long tongues all summer long! 

Light

Hummingbird bushes prefer full sun, although they will tolerate partial shade. In partial shade conditions, however, it may only produce a few flowers in the garden. To meet the full sun requirements, be sure to grow in a location that receives at least six to eight hours of sun daily. 

When growing this shrub as a perennial, remember that you’ll want to measure the sunlight hours during the winter since this will be when the area receives the least amount of sunlight. 

Certain structures may also only shade the area in the winter when the sun is lowest in the sky. This is important, especially in areas where you’ll be growing this shrub as a perennial. Be sure that your site for the hummingbird bush receives some winter sunlight too!

Water

Hummingbird bush is extremely drought tolerant once established and rarely needs water outside of the rainfall that it will receive naturally. It may, however, be necessary to provide supplemental water during periods of extreme drought when the temperatures rise in the height of late summer. This will encourage flowering that hummingbirds love.

Otherwise, it should be fine without supplemental water, though young bushes may need more than mature ones. Its natural habitat includes areas of Texas that can be humid, but overall this host does not need specific humidity levels to survive and will do just as well in dry climates.

When watering, it’s best to water in the early morning before the heat of the day sets in to limit water loss due to evaporation.

Water at the base and avoid wetting the foliage and flowers. It’s not necessary to keep this on drip irrigation as it will need water infrequently. A soaker hose placed at the base during extended periods of drought will be sufficient. 

Soil

Hummingbird bushes have the ability to survive and thrive in various soil types. They are not picky about soil types. However, they won’t tolerate poorly drained soil. They can even survive in heavy clay soils, provided that the soil is well-draining. 

There is no specific pH range required for hummingbird bushes, but the shrub does prefer neutral soil. In areas with poorly drained soil, you may want to amend the planting site with either perlite or sand to help increase drainage. 

Grow these natives in dry, sandy, rocky soil. Avoid planting a shrub in a low-lying area of your garden or near a downspout, as they don’t like to be left in standing water. 

If you’re growing your hummingbird bush in a large pot, be sure to provide it with a well-draining potting mix. Most potting mixes are made to retain moisture, so you may want to amend with perlite or sand to increase the drainage. Place the pot outdoors and remove the drip tray to allow water to run off freely. 

Temperature

Hummingbird bush can be grown as a perennial in USDA hardiness zones 7 and above. In colder climates, such as zones 6 and below, you will likely be growing as an annual. In these areas, there’s not much need to consider the winter sunlight since the foliage dies at the first frost. 

This drought-tolerant native thrives in dry climates and warmer temperatures, even up to 95°F (35°C). It can survive the late summer in full sun droughts of the southern US easily and attracts hummingbirds the entire time.

Fertilizing

Aside from being a shrub that hummingbirds love, another benefit of adding this low-maintenance hummingbird bush to your landscape is that it does not require any supplemental fertilizers. 

You may top-dress your shrub with compost at the beginning of the growing season in early spring if you’d like to give it a boost. Be sure not to overdo it, though. Organic matter can increase moisture retention in the soil, which is the opposite of what it wants. 

Maintenance

Hummingbird bush will need pruning from time to time in order to produce healthy growth. However, there are some things to know about pruning in order to make it successful. Pruning at the wrong time or over-pruning can lead to damage that may have a hard time recovering from, and it may stop producing flowers. 

To promote new growth in the spring, it’s best to prune back the stem tips after the late fall. This perennial does not need to be cut back to the ground.

It will lie dormant in the winter, which is the best time of year to perform this maintenance. Prune only the tips as the tubular flowers grow from last year’s stems.  

This will also give you an opportunity to shape it giving you a fuller shrub. If you’re growing this as an annual, then the only pruning you’ll likely do will be to remove dead branches and remove a few flowers that are spent to encourage flowering.

Hummingbird bushes can be grown in large pots or hanging baskets to attract hummingbirds. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on their overall health and appearance to give clues as to when you might need to re-pot.

If you notice the leaves turning yellow or brown and it begins to wilt, this may be a sign that it has outgrown its container. The roots may even begin to poke out of the drainage holes. Select a larger pot and replant it in the new container, being sure to maintain the same soil level at the base. This helps you attract even more hummingbirds to the garden.

If you’re growing as an annual, then you will not need to re-pot during such a short growing period.

Propagation

Propagate hummingbird bush by softwood cuttings. Take a six-inch cutting just below a leaf node. Remove the lower foliage and place the stem tip into a glass of water or directly into the soil. Rooting hormone can be used but isn’t necessary. 

Water regularly, and the grows roots over the next few weeks. Hummingbird bush can also be propagated by seed and spreads itself by seed very easily. As mentioned above, the pollinated flowers die back and turn into seed pods with unique structures attached at the end of every season. 

These pods dry up and burst, spreading the seed around with small hook-like outgrowths. To grow them more intentionally, gather the seed pods after the flowers fade and they’ve dried, but before they burst. Sow seeds indoors in early spring or directly outdoors once all danger of frost has passed. 

Common Problems

Another benefit to growing these natives within their native habitat is that they are naturally resistant to most pests and diseases. Hummingbird bush is also considered to be deer-resistant. Its foliage makes it unappealing to deer. 

Some growing problems can arise however, when care requirements are not met. 

Growing Problems

The most common growing problems occur when your hummingbird bush is receiving too much water. This can result from poorly drained soils or being planted in an area that receives large amounts of consistent moisture (near a downspout or low-lying area of your garden).

It can also be the result of, well, watering it too much! You likely won’t need to water at all aside from the rain that it receives.

An overwatered hummingbird bush will have leaves that turn yellow and drop off, and it will overall wilt. The bush will also look dull and unhealthy. If you notice these signs and the ground around is consistently moist, you may be dealing with an overwatering issue. 

The easiest way to avoid this issue is to allow the soil to dry out between waterings. If you happen to live in an area that receives regular rainfall, then it is even more important to provide it with well-drained soil since the amount of water that it receives will be outside of your control.

You can amend the planting site with perlite, sand, or even small pebbles since it prefers rocky, dry soil. 

Frequently Asked Questions