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Wildflower · Deer-resistant
Standing Cypress
Ipomopsis rubra
Also called: Texas Plume
A tall biennial spike of fiery red tubular flowers that hummingbirds chase up and down. Ferny basal foliage the first year, a torch of bloom the second.
Growing & care
Sow seed on bare, sandy ground and let it reseed to keep the cycle going. Needs full sun and sharp drainage. No supplemental water once established.
Bloom season
In bloom: May–Jul · Colors: red
Where to buy
Look for standing cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) at: native Texas nurseries, Eden Brothers seed.
Sources
Range, nomenclature, and the USDA symbol above come from the federal plant record for this species. Check it yourself:
Good for
Plant it with
Natives that pair with standing cypress
Same conditions, same uses — species that share standing cypress's growing requirements and belong in the same bed.
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.
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..
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A well-behaved native vine — none of the invasive habit of Japanese honeysuckle — with clusters of coral trumpets that hummingbirds cannot resist..
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Spikes of the most intense scarlet of any native flower, rising from moist shade in late summer.
Indian Blanket
Gaillardia pulchella
The red-and-gold pinwheel daisy that blankets Texas roadsides all summer.
Purple Passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
An extravagant, fringed purple flower unlike anything else native, followed by egg-sized edible fruit.