Zone: 6 to 10
Soil: Sand to loam
Light: Full sun
Bloom colour: Red or maybe yellow
Bloom period: July to September
Height: 60 inches
Moisture: Dry to medium
Attracts: Hummingbirds
Notes: Standing cypress is native to the Eastern United States. It is a biennial and in its first year of growth will form a rosette. In its second year, it will grow about 5 feet high with a large spike of gloriously red flowers. The delicate lacy foliage is a bonus as are the seedheads that remain upright over the winter.
Each plant can be placed as close as 12 inches apart. If you are trying to maximise the flower power in your bed, you may elect to raise the first-year seedlings in pots and then transplant them into your bed in the fall. These plants grow well in sand but will be a bit shorter and they may need watering in times of drought. Any early blooms can be cut back to allow a second bloom, but make sure you have enough seed production for future generations of plants. With their height, these plants do well along the back of a border or under the eaves of a building where there is less water.
Each flower has a deep red corolla, which is the classic pollination syndrome for hummingbirds who will return again and again to nectar from these flowers. This is an absolutely outstanding flower to see in a garden. |
