Shrub · Deer-resistant
Flame Acanthus
Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii
Also called: Hummingbird Bush, Wright's Desert Honeysuckle
A wispy, tough shrub that throws tubular orange-red flowers through the worst of the summer heat — exactly when hummingbirds are fueling up for migration.
Growing & care
Blooms on new wood, so cut back hard in late winter. Needs almost no water once rooted. Full sun gives the heaviest bloom.
Bloom season
In bloom: Jun–Oct · Colors: orange, red
Where to buy
Look for flame acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii) at: native Texas nurseries, Prairie Moon Nursery.
Sources
Range, nomenclature, and the USDA symbol above come from the federal plant record for this species. Check it yourself:
Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii (ANQUW) in the USDA PLANTS Database →
Good for
Plant it with
Natives that pair with flame acanthus
Same conditions, same uses — species that share flame acanthus's growing requirements and belong in the same bed.
Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
The workhorse of the water-wise Texas garden: a small evergreen shrub that blooms nearly year-round and shrugs off heat, drought, and deer..
Agarita
Berberis trifoliolata
A spiny blue-grey evergreen that bees swarm in late winter and birds nest inside for protection.
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
A vigorous semi-evergreen climber that covers a fence or arbor in orange-red trumpets in early spring — timed for the first returning hummingbirds.
Damianita
Chrysactinia mexicana
A low evergreen cushion of fine, aromatic foliage smothered in golden daisies in spring and again in fall.
Desert Willow
Chilopsis linearis
A slender desert tree that produces orchid-like trumpet flowers all summer on almost no water.
Scarlet Sage
Salvia coccinea
An easy reseeding sage that blooms scarlet from spring to frost, even in part shade — one of the few hummingbird plants that flowers reliably out of full sun..