Name: Cuphea Vermillionaire or ‘David Verity’ aka cigar plant
Type of Plant: Annuals in the Northeast, that are hummingbird magnets.
Why I Love This Plant: This annual adds a dash of orange that makes mixed containers (no matter the flower colors) come alive, and attracts hummingbirds to your garden.
Vermillionaire, from Proven Winners, grows 18 to 20 inches tall in containers, and a bit taller when planted in the ground. ‘David Verity’ grows 20 to 30 inches tall. Both play well with others and flower all summer and into the fall without deadheading.
A Word to the Wise: These plants shed their old flowers all summer – when they do that on my deck, I wash the old flowers off with a stream of water when I’m using the hose in the area. But if you’re the type of person who can’t stand any plant debris on your deck or patio, by all means place these where the dried flowers will fall onto the lawn or into a flower bed.
Vermillionaire is a good plant to use in window boxes or hanging pots if you want to attract the hummingbirds. ‘David Verity’ is good in larger containers and makes a good central upright plant…aka “thriller.”
Cuphea Vermillionaire and David Verity have small, tubular orange flowers.
I use Vermillionaire in containers on all sides of my house. This plant works well with many other flowering or foliage annuals. Here it’s growing with the King Tut Papyrus in my troughs, combined with Salivia Black and Blue, a New Guinea impatiens and a sweet potato vine.
David Verity cuphea is a larger variety – tall, spicky flowers. This is how it looks in September.
Both of these Cupheas are hummingbird magnets!
Can I plant this in the ground and will it come back next spring. I live in the Upper Pennisula
No it is an annual where you are.
I have a large David Verity on the deck. It is in a heavy container, and I was thinking of taking cuttings and putting them in water first and then putting them in wet sand and covered with a plastic top. Do you think they will root during the winter in the house?
I would not put cuttings in water. Cut 5 inches from a stem tip and remove any leaves from the bottom half of the cutting. Dip the bottom of the cutting in a rooting powder and insert it into a sterile soilless planting medium. Place a plastic bag over the pot with the cutting to increase the humidity, but remove it briefly every day to prevent condensation. Place the pot in a bright, warm location. When you see new leaves growing, move the seedling to a pot with nutrient-rich soil.