california native flora

Calliandra Californica – Red Fairyduster

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The newest arrival in the patio garden is a Red Fairyduster (Calliandra Californica) picked up yesterday from the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, CA. Like so many in our garden, this is a California native plant that will keep hummingbirds coming back for more. The bright red duster shaped flower puffs attract many pollinators but this is a shrub that the hummers really love. It is a 1 gallon specimen and I have planted it in a large wooden planter in full sun. I’m not expecting to see any flowers this year, it really is a very small specimen. Hopefully it’ll get through the hot summer and next year we may see a bit more bloom action. It’s quite a slow grower though, so that’ll remain to be seen.

It should grow to about 5′ tall, spreading just as wide. I have added Perlite to the soil and a few rocks at the bottom of the planter to help drainage. It also likes full sun and once established it should have need only occasional watering. When it is mature enough to flower it should bloom Spring through Autumn. The flowers are best described as red puffs that look sort of like feather dusters.