Flame Acanthus

Flame Acanthus Anisacanthus quadrifidus  (2015)
3ft x 3ft Medium-sized native shrub can be used as low hedge; From midsummer through frost, flame acanthus is covered with long, slender, red or orange blooms that hummingbirds love.; reseeds aggressively; if frost browns leaves, cut back by 1/3 to 1/2 before spring growth begins

Flame acanthus loves the heat and is extremely drought tolerant, but will produce more flowers if watered a little more during the hottest, driest times. It generally stays under 3′ tall and wide, but can get a little bigger.

My brand new Flame Acanthus in 2015.  Look how sweet it looks!

Personal Notes:   I purchased this plant in 2015 when I was first building the front bed. I didn't know much more than that it was drought tolerant.  

Four years later, I am trying to learn to re-love this plant.  

I made a mistake planting this in the front of my bed, so it frequently blocks the smaller plants behind it (Totally not its fault, I know).  Also, I was never sure whether I should prune this shrub back or not, so in addition to being too tall, it was very leggy, and honestly, ugly.  And, because it wasn't a favorite, I must admit, I didn't water it too much, focusing my attention on other plants instead. The flowers on this plant are understated; small red flowers at the end of the branches. So... it wasn't a favorite. But late last year, we changed our sprinkler system, and some of the water fell on this plant, and it bloomed pretty nicely. And I realized that it was a pretty hardy, nice plant... just not in a great location.

So this year, I am going to try and transplant the bush to a different location, where it will add, instead of detract, from the landscape... I am just not sure where that location is just yet. :o)