Fire Bush (Hamelia patens)

The red-leaf firebush... after a recent cold snap.

I have used two types of fire bush in my landscape – both the red-leafed and green-leafed fire bush.  I like them both immensely – they are beautiful when in bloom, especially in the summer months. I initially planted several red-leafed fire bushes along a barrier along my lake, hoping that they would ultimately grow to hide the unsightly barrier.  Unfortunately, I planted them before I had installed my sprinkler system and many of them succumbed to a dry spell. I did cut a few plants back to the ground and, to my surprise, they grew back and are now great specimens.  The green-leaf fire bush has done well from the beginning; I planted it at the base of live oak in the corner of my back yard.  The green leaf fire bush appears to be hardier than the red-leafed plan, particularly to cold; whenever the temperature drops into the 30s, the red-leafed fire bush tends to brown and lose its leaves, but the green-leaf tends to be less impacted. 

Berries on a firebush.

Green-leafed firebush... less impacted by cold.