Russelia equisetiformis commonly called Firecracker or Coral Plant comes from the Scrophulariaceae family. Russelia or Firecracker originated from tropical America. The shrub is planted widely throughout the Caribbean. It was named after Alexander Russell, a Scottish naturalist.
Russelia produces thin wiry-like foliage and scarlet red to coral tubular flowers throughout the year. It grows to a height of approximately 3-4 ft, and because of its unusual appearance it is used by most gardeners around fountains, borders, cascading down a wall or a pot. It looks charming in a container or a hanging basket. When in bloom it looks as if it is raining down flowers. It comes in colours of scarlet red, yellow and coral.
It can be grown from cuttings or by layering. If you want to grow it from a cutting, choose a side shoot in an active growth phase. Take your cutting which should be about 3 inches long from near the base. If you want to speed up the rooting process, dip the end in hormone rooting powder and insert into sand. The sand should be kept moist. After it has rooted and you want to set it in the spot you have chosen for it, you should plant it to the same depth it was in the container of sand.
Ruselia likes sun, so you can put it in a sunny spot, but don’t let the soil dry out in the dry season; make sure it is kept moist. At the same time, it likes well-drained soil and does not like to be drowned out. Fertilize it with Miracle Gro All Purpose once every two weeks.
Until next week, happy gardening.
