Firebush HELP please

Help! Firebush devotees, I love them too but am an extreme novice. I have 4 in about the same area and same shade/water. 1 is dying, 2 are fruiting and have gotten very leggy with only a few bright red leaves, and one is beautifully flowering with full leaves. Should I cut the fruiting ones back? Thanks.

Hi,
I can only tell you mine are in full sun and only get occasional watering and are thriving. They are pretty bushy. I haven't trimmed them except for an occasion cutting to root. I plant to trim them back in the spring a bit. I have the full size and the dwarf variety.
Jan...

Firebushes are very forgiving, so you can trim them almost anytime of the year. The more you prune them the more bushy they get. They like full sun, little water once established and a good dose of fertilizer twice a year. They like sandy soil with good drainage. Just make sure they aren't getting too much water.
I would prune back the ones that aren't doing too well. Within a short time they should start coming back.

Ditto on all the great advice, firebushes are usually one of the easiest to grow and as jnana said "are very forgiving". I would transplant them if they are not in full sun. I tried growing one in shade and although it was a pretty little bush - it never flowered or got very big. Why one is dying while one is thriving is one of the mysteries of gardening in Florida. I have two of the same varieties of Japanese Magnolias - they were bought at the same nursery, at the same time and were the same size, etc. when planted. One is gorgeous and blooms for me a couple of times a year while the other is stunted and looks like it is just hanging on for dear life. They are planted about 10 feet apart and I don't understand why one is doing so much better than the other. Good luck with your firebushes - they are magnets for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Are these the same firebushes ya'll are talking about? DM had one that didn't burn for 3 or 4 years, but is burning every year now.
I took thiis picture in Hagerstown, Md sunday.
Sidney

Stunning picture, Sidney.

No those aren't it. I don't know what that is, but it surely is gorgeous. I don't think that grows here in Florida.
This is what a Firebush looks like http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1844/index.html

Thanks for all of the greaat advice. Mine are already all in the sun, with good drainage and scant water. I will trim the fruiting ones back and see how they do. Sheila