RTH in Riverview

[John Bakas]

We had several RTH's beginning Jan 12 until about 3 or 4 weeks ago (it seems) when they all left.

We kept our feeders up and yesterday a male appeared outside my window and was there all day today too. He is a cute cheerful little guy who likes to sit on the feeder or close to the feeder on a near-by branch.

John
Riverview (near US Hwy 301 at Progress/Bloomingdale)

[John Bakas]

The male RTH stayed two days and is now gone. We miss the little guy.

John
Riverview

[virgo10]

I feel your pain. We had a male here a couple of weeks ago for 3 days and then he disappeared. My yard looked like Club Med for hummers but it didn't seem to matter.

[mtroise]

I haven't had any sightings in my yard in Valrico for a few weeks now until this weekend...I saw a single bird going to my coral bean tree. The lighting was bad so I couldn't tell much more than it was a hummer. Haven't seen it again since, but I did clean up the feeders just in case

[Steve Backes]

My last sighting was last weekend. I've seen one bird each of the past few weeks. About the time I give up on regularly maintaining feeders, I see a bird around one. It's been a female and I did see a band on her a couple of times so I assume I'm seeing the same bird, one that wasn't a regular in my yard but was banded here this past winter.

I typically recommend maintaining a feeder year round but find myself ignoring them during the summer months. I will try to maintain two during the summer but If I'm busy and the feeders aren't clean, I'll take them down until I can get around to cleaning them. I have plenty of flowers to keep one or two birds happy.

[John Bakas]

For the past several years we have had RTHs only in the summer. Although they seem to come earlier and earlier each year during the summer -- so we are hoping for a visit soon. Our main firebushes (about 15 feet tall) are just starting to bloom and we see most of the hummingbirds around those plants.

John
Riverview (US 301 and Bloomingdale Ave.)

[hummingbird231]

John, I bought a dwarf firebush, is a dwarf firebush what you have? Was wondering will mine get that tall? Would be nice if it did. I asked this similar question to the wrong person , sorry.
Linda

[hummingbird231]

I would really like to see a photo of your 15 foot firebush, how many do you have in your yard. When I google image of different shrubs and plants, it always shows them up to close. Would be nice to see one from a distance. Do you have a firecracker bush too?

[Steve Backes]

I have seen 15+ foot firebush. They were in areas protected from freezing and I saw them after a few mild winters. Mine have frozen just about every year which has prevented them from reaching maximum height. My yellow flowered plant that was best protected reached at least 10 feet prior to last year's freeze which froze it to the ground.

I'm not familiar with the dwarf varieties, and believe that I don't own any of them, but I have received one or two of my plants from others. My research indicates that the dwarf variety grows a few feet shorter than the full sized one but may still reach 7+ feet. Mine will reach 6-8 feet in a season after having been frozen to the ground. If they can survive the winter, they will grow taller.

To my knowledge, Firecracker Bush and Firebush are both common names for Hamelia Patens. Are they two names for the same plant? Or, do they represent different varieties?

[John Bakas]

I will take a picture of the firebush and firecracker plants we have. They are different plants, but I know that common names can be tricky.

What we call the firecracker plants are also popular with the hummingbirds.

We bought several “regular” firebush and have them in several places in the yard. Once they are planted it is virtually/nearly impossible to get rid of them if you change your mind, so make sure you want them.

We also bought some “dwarf” firebush but they got over 5 feet high and we tried to keep them trimmed to about 3 feet — but that meant that they never had any flowers on them. We removed the dwarf firebush last year, but still have them coming up. I don’t know how tall the dwarf firebush would have gotten.

The regular firebush we have has a large pretty leaf that is green and can have a tinge of red and orange — very nice. The firebush are starting to bloom so I will also take some pictures of the blooms too.

I think the firecracker also is blooming and I will take pictures of it too.

John
Riverview (US 301/Bloomingdale)

Update May 28. I think Steve's comment that the dwarf Firebush would grow 7 feet, seems right. They are "big" plants, not much dwarf about them -- we bought the dwarf Firebushes thinking they would stay about 2-3 feet tall! LOL.

[John Bakas]

Here is a link to a Shutterfly set of 9 pictures of the two large Firebushes and the largest Firecracker plant we have.

Firebush and Firecracker Pictures

We have only two really large Firebushes, but have several smaller ones.

John
Riverview (US 301/Bloomingdale)

[hummingbird231]

Oh thanks so much John, I appreciate that. I really hope I planted what I thought I planted. I live in a subdivision with restrictions, but we have a fenced back yard, so I can really plant what I want in the back, as long as it does'nt get to clutterd looking. Also husband is scared of me getting snakes in the yard if I let things grow up to bad.
Linda

[John Bakas]

Linda, we live next to a small pond and a woods. We have seen two coral snakes in the 11 years we have been here -- both were too near us when we became aware of them -- scary. And my wife read in the paper that in the future there may not be any more Snake Antivenom because the company will stop producing it -- Oh Great. So, it's very good to be careful with each step. Your husband is wise to be concerned. We see the Black snakes (harmless and helpful) all the time in the yard. They sun themselves in a large rose bush (a Louis Philippe).

We are trying to keep a Florida Friendly yard, attract hummingbirds and butterflies. The Milkweed (or something) seems to have increased the number of butterflies in our yard this year. Very nice, now we are just waiting for the summer hummers we get each year about this time.

John
Riverview (US 301/Bloomingdale)

[hummingbird231]

John,
The firecracker is the same as mine. The fire bush that was up close looks like mine, but I think mine is a dwarf, so I dont think it will get as tall as the ones on your house that almost reached the roof, that is amazing. What I have done hoping to get hummingbirds in my back yard is I bought like 10 powder puff, (I've heard they like the Powder Puff bush) and 9 fire crackers and planted in front of my back fence. I planted them like so (powder Puff bush-firecracker-powder puff bush-firecracker and so on till its from one end of fence to the other, the space between each is like 4 feet, I only bought 1 firebush, and I planted that in a spot next to my house in the back yard. Thanks for the pictures, that really helped me figure out what I have. Im glad the ones I got are a hit with the hummingbirds. Thats my goal. Linda

[John Bakas]

Linda,

By your hummingbird visitor today, I'd say your plan is perfect.

[hummingbird231]

Thanks John ;D now would this be a year round or summer or just passing through to the north? I was like awe, I wish my new bushes were bigger, cause they are only like 1 to 1 and a half feet tall. I'm not sure it even noticed my bushes just went to the feeder and then later today I was working out side with my daughter and we saw it kinda like 3 feet from one of the firecracker bushes which was loaded with red blooms, but it went instead to the mexican petunia, you know the purple ones? but I really dont think thats a nectar plant, that kinda puzzled me.
Linda

[hummingbird231]

I'm not really sure Steve about the names. But the Firecracker and firebush are totally different plants. From what ive been searching on the firebush, there is a dwarf firebush, and I think maybe ive heard mention of a texas firebush which is way bigger, and their could be more. I'm glad to know mine will still get bigger than just 2 or 3 feet. 7 feet would be great! Thanks for answering all my questions.
Linda

[Steve Backes]

Dave's Garden lists Firecracker Shrub as a common name for Hamelia patens (Firebush). The Firecracker that you're referring to is Russelia equisitiformis. I've always called it Firecracker Flower but others refer to it as Fountain Plant.

Steve

[John Bakas]

We saw one yesterday for a couple of hours, but not today. We saw it around our firebushes. We do not know whether it was a female or male -- and we don't care -- just want it back!

John
Riverview,
which is 12 miles south of Tampa
near US 301 and Bloomingdale Ave.

[John Bakas]

Yippee! It's back today. My wife saw it again twice around our firebushes and blue plumbago in the morning. We have not seen it drink from any of the feeders we have up.

If I were a hummingbird, I would say that our firebushes which were damaged by the freeze are just now getting enough blossoms to feed one hummingbird -- so maybe they were waiting for the right time -- but what do I know.

John
Riverview,
which is 12 miles south of Tampa
near US 301 and Bloomingdale Ave.