We bought one and planted in a dry morning sun area, and it has been a summer joy for ...Read Morethe last 10 years. Throughout the hot days, it goes through cycle after cycle of intense, lovely red flowers.
It is so beautiful and striking, I just dont understand why it isnt much more popular
We never fertilize it, just leave it be - and it keeps rewarding us!
During the winter, its little leaves fold up, and if it gets below freezing it will die back.... but then emerge in the spring.
It does put out seed pods - and I think a couple of them germinated - but these seedlings died off in the winter
I grow this in a container in NYC. It will not survive our winters of course therefore I bring it indoors around December to late May or ...Read Moreeven June. It won't flower until July without supplemental light. If it dries out more than a day it will die--it likes water. The leaves close tightly when the light diminishes or it's stressed. If it is getting too much water, it's easy to recognize as it will show in yellowing leaves and corrects quickly. Bees and hummingbirds like the flowers.
I live in 8b. The plant grows well here, but is killed to the ground at the first freeze. Unfortunately the first freezes have come prio...Read Morer to the plant blooming for a number of years. It comes back nicely every year and with the unseasonably warm year that we are having there are a lot of flowers now. The honeybees really love them.
After 2 years here in the garden, I have to say that this Calliandra species is one of the most colorful exotic shrubs I have worked with...Read More. It is also quite a trooper, putting up with the constantly changing summer weather here.
Even if it never flowered, the nice, wide leaflets of this species lend something tropical to it's overall appearance. With flowers, it stands out when it boldly pops with color. While it can (and does) flower on and off at any time during the year here, stopping only during the dead of winter, it is at its best through the summer months when the entire plant seems to flower in spectacular waves at a time. Even so, seed pods are far and few between. Regardless, it is the must defend plant among all the Hummingbirds when it puts on a show.
Another, completely unexpected attribute of this great plant is the copper colored flush that peppers newly emerging leaves.
While loosing most of its leaves, and looking a bit beat up after a cold winter, it returns to its glory well before summer arrives. It also does well in a large container. Highly recommend this one for warmer parts of the S.F. Bay Area.
I have planted it in my pool planter, where it has survived two cold snaps, no problem. It gets morning sun and dappled afternoon sun. ...Read MoreVery pretty and unique. I hope to start some from seed. Perfect specimen for poolside planters.
i had these in the Keys and really loved them...so much that i brought one to central florida with me. i didn't realize how cold it coul...Read Mored get here and the second year in ground, it froze to the soil line. the next spring it popped up like nothing had happened. this has happened several times now and it comes back better each spring.
i actually decided to dig it out altogether and i thought i got it all but apparently not because it is still thriving and blooming. these bloom in flushes from spring to frost many times over. if you have more than one, they will put themselves on a same time bloom schedule within several months time of being planted which i think is really cool.
they are prone to bugs but i don't even worry about it. it's a tough plant.
Brooksville, FL (Zone 9a) | September 2010 | positive
I purchased a home in Hernando County Florida in late winter. Some of the plants in the yard were without leaves and frankly, looked dea...Read Mored; but I let them go until spring when the 3 old, unrecognizable, chopped off bushes in the front turned out to be crape myrtles, glad I waited. In the back were thin leafless brown stalks of something, could have been a weed for all I knew. I finally removed the stalks, cut them to the ground. Something started growing from the center of those stalks and I see from this website that it is a Pink Powder Puff. It's quite lovely. I've done nothing to it but cut it down, it's growing in sand on the east side of the house getting some sun and some shade and only getting watered by the rain, no drought this summer. So, from my experience, they don't need much care.
To peterKR; Fertilizing your Calliandra's was likely the problem. I believe they fix there own nitrogen. It's in Mimosacea. When I fer...Read Moretilizied my Summer Chocolate mimosa, it quickly died. Your Calliandra probably improved because the watering diluted the fertilizer.
West Palm Beach, FL (Zone 10a) | May 2009 | negative
My landscaper planted a row of these next to our house; despite much fertilizing they have withered, put out almost no new leaves and few...Read More flowers. Finally I got a soaker hose and have been watering them almost daily. There is already a major difference with new growth emerging after about six months of dormancy. I think the Florida drought was a problem despite irrigation. They clearly need lots of water!
North Tonawanda, NY (Zone 6a) | April 2007 | positive
I started this plant from seed in late winter 2005. As of today , April 17, 2007 it is all of 8 inches tall and has flowered for the fir...Read Morest time. Since I am in zone 6 I have to grow it in a container and overwinter it inside but it is so cute that it is worth it. I also have to C. californicas that I started from seed last year but have not yet started to bloom.
I purchased this as a "Dwarf Powderpuff" for a small terrarium. No sooner did I get it home and place it in a terrarium, located in a sun...Read Moreroom, than the leaves started growing from a length of a half inch to over 2 inches in length. Since the plant is crowding the terrarium, I will have to repot it and try it without the terrarium.
Large calliandra with relatively large leaves and flowers, from southern Mexico and central America. Looks a lot like Calliandra haemato...Read Morecephala. The one I saw had pink flowers, though.
A rare and lovely plant for Houston
We bought one and planted in a dry morning sun area, and it has been a summer joy for ...Read More
I grow this in a container in NYC. It will not survive our winters of course therefore I bring it indoors around December to late May or ...Read More
I live in 8b. The plant grows well here, but is killed to the ground at the first freeze. Unfortunately the first freezes have come prio...Read More
After 2 years here in the garden, I have to say that this Calliandra species is one of the most colorful exotic shrubs I have worked with...Read More
I have planted it in my pool planter, where it has survived two cold snaps, no problem. It gets morning sun and dappled afternoon sun. ...Read More
i had these in the Keys and really loved them...so much that i brought one to central florida with me. i didn't realize how cold it coul...Read More
I purchased a home in Hernando County Florida in late winter. Some of the plants in the yard were without leaves and frankly, looked dea...Read More
To peterKR; Fertilizing your Calliandra's was likely the problem. I believe they fix there own nitrogen. It's in Mimosacea. When I fer...Read More
My landscaper planted a row of these next to our house; despite much fertilizing they have withered, put out almost no new leaves and few...Read More
I started this plant from seed in late winter 2005. As of today , April 17, 2007 it is all of 8 inches tall and has flowered for the fir...Read More
I purchased this as a "Dwarf Powderpuff" for a small terrarium. No sooner did I get it home and place it in a terrarium, located in a sun...Read More
Large calliandra with relatively large leaves and flowers, from southern Mexico and central America. Looks a lot like Calliandra haemato...Read More