I just purchased some bat-faced cuphea (Cuphea llavea). Now I need to know where to plant it. Does it need full sun as almost all descriptions state or does it need part shade or filtered shade in our hot climate? What kind of soil does it prefer? I find differing cultivation information. Any assistance will be appreciated.
A this link it states it needs great soil that is well drained and lots of moisture; whereas, other descriptions state that it is drought tolerant.
http://www.rainyside.com/features/plant_gallery/annuals/Cuphea_llaveaTinyMice.html
This message was edited May 29, 2006 10:09 AM
Bat-faced cuphea
I've successfully grown them in pots and in the ground--both have been at least half day shade in the summer. My other cupheas can handle full sun, though. They might can too. Regular raised beds and the regular potting soil everything else grows in--nothing special. I never met a cuphea I didn't like.
All the cupheas I've grown and growing have never been as drought-tolerant as others claim them to be...but then, this is Texas. We have a lot of more drought-tolerant plants; so I guess drought-tolerant is a relative thing.
Debbie
Debbie, thanks for the information. I love my other cupheas also. I just dug up the 'David Verity' because it did not grow as robustly as I thought it would and was being denied enough sunlight by other plants. I placed 'Starfire' in a large container that is in fromt of my garage. I wanted to see the lovely blooms closeup. They tend to take more water than I thought they would. I am hoping this bat-face is the one with the larger blooms. I usually don't buy anything if I'm not sure of the blooms, but these were on sale for only 88 cents for a 4 inch container and they are a nice size. I think I'll put some in hanging baskets and somme in the ground. How tall do your bat-face get?
About 2 feet tall--smallish blooms--just like that great link you provided. Red on top (bat ears) and purple on bottom (bat face). Great price for them.
I grow them here, they're perennial and bloom most of the year for me. They will get some brown on the leaves if they get so dry they wilt. I grow them in sun, part sun and half shade. The ones in part sun are the prettiest plants, but the ones in full sun have the most flowers. If they get ratty looking, cut them back and they will put out new growth.
Thanks to both of you for the information. Now I am able to decide where to plant them.
Calalily. for some reason both of my Uruguayan Firecracker Plant (Dicliptera suberecta) plants died last year. The leaves and the stems both slowly turned a light green (not their normal color) and then eventually just dried up. I have been unable to figure out why, but thought that they might have gotten a root fungus or I had overwatered them because they kept wilting and/or the soil had fertilizer in it that was still "hot". The soil is well drained. Several plants that I had previously planted in that area had died. I bought another one at the end of last summer and have just planted it in a different area. It had been in the greenhouse all winter, was a bit rootbound and its leaves are a lightish green. I thought the foliage color would improve once I set it in the ground. I am afraid to water it very much after what happened to the other plants. IHas this ever happened to yours?
I had one that "failed to thrive" and eventually died because it was in an area that didn't drain well.
I have two rooted plants if you need them.
I picked up a new one this year in the Flamenco series: 'Flamenco Tango'. It has much larger flowers than the bat faced.
http://www.planthaven.com/cuphflam.htm
The more sun they get the more water they need. I consider them my "indicator" plants. They indicate to me when it is time to water Ü
I have to agree with Taylor about them being indicator plants. I have a huge stand of cuphea micropetala in the ground I've had for 5 years. When they wilt...the rest of the garden always needs watering. Maybe they are drought tolerant in, um, let's say Ohio; but definitely not in Houston. I would have surely lost them in last summers drought if I hadn't have 'flooded' them with the water hose once a weeks. These pics were taken in January. But we didn't have much of a winter.
They always freeze down to ground level every winter and these did too...right after this pic.
I recently was introduced to cuphea's myself and planted several in a sunny location in the ground. The bat faced version does not require as much as the
other "regular" version I purchased. I also find that the blooms are bigger and there are more of them on the bat faced. Cute plant!
Debbie your cuphea is huge! Is that the tall version? If not how long did it take to get so tall? If all cuphea's get that big, I am in trouble as I think mine might be planted too close to a fence. Oh no!
yes--cigar plant, cuphea micropetala
PlantFiles link:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/64733/index.html
Some of those are within 12" of the fence--some are out further...basically a 5' x 3' bed of them.
Debbie
Calalily, I don't need any rooted bat-face right now; but thanks for the offer. The places I have planted mine drain really well. They seem to be doing okay now ... only time will tell.
seedpicker _TX, 'Flamenco Rumba' is the one I saw last summer at my favorite nursery and I couldn't remember its name.. The blooms are indeed much larger than the regularbat[-face. Thanks for the link and the information
Debbie, thanks for the information and the photos. The blooms on my 'Starfire' and 'David Verity' are much smaller than the ones on your plant; thus, they do not show up well at a distance. I have situated them where the blooms are more easily seen. I haven't seen a cuphea micropetala for sale here this year. Yours are lovely.
ms_merae, thanks for the information. There are many types of cuphea and they vary in the size they attain. I think your cuphea will adapt to where they are planted near the fence.
Htop, I was offering dicleptera. Is that the plant that you lost?
Htop, I have got more Uruguayan Firecracker Plants than I know what to do with. When the wind or rain break them, I just stick my finger in the bed and stick it in and "Away we goooo" (kudo's to Gleason). The two rootings that you gave me last year in April at the first Kerville RU have been giving me more to give to friends and to transplant at my store. I wouldn't dought that they could take a "smail mail" trip BACK to ya if you want.
Let me know since they were your's to begin with. ;o)
Calalily, duh ... my mind must have been wandering somewhere. Yes, I lost 2 dicleptera. I'll see how the dicleptera I just planted does in the new spot. Its leaves seem to be greening up after leaving the greenhouse and being planted in the ground. Thanks for mentioning that it needs well drained soil and for the kind offer of cuttings.
kipper2, I'm happy that the cuttings I gave you have done so well because both mother plants died. I think (fter reading Calalily's reply that they were in an area that did not drain well and that I kept watering them thinking that they needed more water (double duh). Thanks for the offer of cuttings.
Calalily and kipper2, the plant I have needs to be pruned a bit. I think that I'll do so and start some cuttings myself just in case it doesn't like where I planted it.