Calliandra, Red Fairy Duster Hybrid, Red Powder Puff Hybrid 'Sierra Starr'

I just bought this plant so I am unable to evaluate it at this time. It prefers a very dry location and would make an excellent plant to ...Read Moreuse in rock gardens, xeriscapes and wildscapes. It is a hybrid between the Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla) and the Baja Fairy Duster (Calliandra californica). It has been producing blooms constantly for weeks.

Update 9/25/05: I just found out that Calliandra can sustain leaf damage at temperatures below 25°F (-4°C) and are often killed when they fall to 20°F (-7°C) and below. We have had mild winters the past few years, but temperatures can fall into the teens here. I may have to keep this plant in a container just in case. The plant is doing wonderfully blooming almost nonstop during days upon days of 100 degree weather and no rain from late August through late September.


Update 8/24/06:I planted 'Sierra Star' in the ground last fall. It survived a very mild winter with only a few nights that had temperatures that fell below freezing (only for a few hours). It received no freeze damage. Mountain States Nursery states that the stems are hardy to 18°F and the roots are hardy to 15°F. It is planted in very fast draining soil.

I was told by the nurseryman where I bought it to be sure not to water it very much. Well, it was not growing and the foliage was a light green at the beginning of the summer and the bloom buds were drying up before they opened. I began a regimen of watering it deeply and a little bit beyond its drip zone every 4 days. The leaves greened up, the number of blooms is tremendous and it has almost doubled in size. We are in a severe drought and my neighborhood has had no appreciable rain since January. The temperatures are in the 100s almost everyday. It must love where I planted it. I am glad that I had given it the type of soil it needs. It is indeed a "star".

Update 11/06 - I had read that this plant attracts butterflies and had seen many bees visiting it in the past. This year I am amazed by how many different types of butterflies use it as a nectar source.

Update 10/25/07 - My plant is growing very quickly probably due to the wet spring and cool wet summer. When it hasn't been raining, I water it once a week which is more than the literature recommends. It is located in a well drained area. Love it.

Update 1/15/08 -'Sierra Star' is thriving. All of my neighbors and friends adore it as well. I have had to prune off some low branches that were touching the ground and attempted to root them with no luck. The plant has a few seed pods which do not look ripe at this time. I am going to collect some seeds and attempt to germinate them. I do not know if the new plants will be true to the mother plant (if the seeds germinate).

Update 7/19/11 - This plant has died back to the ground the past 2 winters which had record breaking low temperatures that were sustained over long periods with several nights in the low teens. It has returned each from from the roots and grows fairly quickly. It seems to thrive in our severe drought conditions and record breaking high temperatures with some supplemental water.