Pick for Favorite Plant
– Bat-faced Plant

1) Plant Common name – Bat-faced Plant

2) Plant Botanical name – Cuphea llavea

3) What makes this plant amazing? Hummingbirds love it!! Brilliant red color and cute little bat faced blooms.

4) How much light does it need? Full sun to very partial shade

5) Does it like water all the time or does it like to be dry? Full sun to very partial shade

6) How large does it grow? Mature Plant Size 12″-18″

7) Does it need to be trimmed? If so how often? No trimming or deadheading needed.

8) Does it have something that makes it unique? Well…. The fact that it looks like a Bats’s face.  =  )

9) Do you need to fertilize? With what and how often? Fertilize with Osmocote for slow-release feeding or use Miracle-Gro every couple of weeks.

10) Does it bloom? All Summer and well into fall!

11) Does it have a fragrance? No

12) Is it poisonous to pets? No

13) Ease of growing?  Very easy to grow!

14) Can it go outside for summer/inside for winter? It’s an annual flower. Use at the edges of patio pots as a filler and for spill over interest. Or plant some in a hanging basket to make it easier for hummingbirds to find. Great for sunny window boxes. Can’t survive Winters outside.

15) Can it be propagated easily? By cuttings if you want to try. Wouldn’t grow well inside during the winter.

16) Any additional ‘features’ about this favorite plant?  I plant this in several containers around the yard to attract the hummingbirds. I love the color in the fall, the leaves turn red with changing temperatures. All around a great annual flower to include in the garden.

Bat-faced Plant Blooming