Justicia Species, Summer Sun Justicia, Orange Justicia

I love this plant. Picked one up at a plant show about 5 years back and it has really taken off. Performs well from cuttings, though you ...Read Morewouldn't know it at first. The stem will look like it completely dead, then all of a sudden you'll notice new growth coming from the bottom nodes beneath the soil line. Can't say that I have tried to grow from seed but considering the amount of pods that my plant has produced with the lack of baby plants popping up anywhere, I would just go with vegetative propagation.

One thing of note, the height in the description is not the height that my plant is at. Mine has reached about 9 feet tall. It is a very impressive monster of an Orange Justicia and I couldn't be happier. When it is in full bloom at that size, it is stunning. Bees love it, hummingbirds go insane on it and there isn't a day that goes by where someone doesn't stop me to ask what kind of plant it is.

I could easily see this functioning as a screen in my zone. The worst freeze damage I have gotten here (20F for a couple of nights) has been blackened edges at the new growth.

The Orange Justicia grows in a variety of conditions (full sun to partial shade). It does not require a great deal of care but does seem ...Read Moreto produce more blooms if cut back in mid spring to early summer after initial blooms have faded. The Orange Justicia will produce seeds but the preferred method of propagation is from cuttings. The plant will root very easily as long as cuttings are kept moist. Overall this plant is a great addition to the landscape with the brilliant orange color and a natural attractor of hummingbirds and butterflies.

I have had this plant for years and never knew what it was until I saw it for sale at Lowes. Mine freezes to the ground occasionally here...Read More in DeLand Florida but comes back in the spring. It takes a lot of water & tends to get Mealy Bugs but they don't seem to affect the health of the plant.

This is a very pretty, hardy, un-fussy plant that is sadly under-used here in SW Florida. The profuse flowers are a cheerful bright orang...Read Moree starburst shape- just lovely. Over about 5 years, my plant went from about 12" tall to about 6' tall x 5' wide, and flowers most of the year now in full to part sun. I fertilize it twice a year with high-quality time release fertilizer and that is all the special attention it gets. I have begun propagating it and the babies are coming along nicely too. A real winner!