Want to make hummingbirds see red? Plant a firebush in your
garden. Also called scarlet bush, it is not only among the
easiest of plants to grow, but it also stays in bloom throughout
the growing season with clusters of tubular red buds and
flowers. Because the Southern growing season overlaps the spring
and fall migration times of the ruby-throated hummingbird, and
red is by far their favorite color, these blossoms will summon
them to your garden. Firebush (Hamelia patens) can be found at
most nurseries and garden centers across the South, partly
because it's so well adapted to our growing conditions. It's
drought tolerant but doesn't mind regular water or even
occasional wet feet. It is perfectly happy in alkaline soils but
also fine in acid ones. Full sun will keep it happy and
blooming, but so will a fair amount of shade. Firebush makes a
great, fast-flowering annual shrub for borders or containers in
the Middle and Upper South. It's a South Florida native, though,
so it does equally well with the intense