UT
Gardens October 2015 Plant of the Month:
Candy Corn Plant
Submitted by James
Newburn, Assistant Director, University of
Tennessee Gardens, Knoxville
By now many of us are enjoying shorter days and cooler
temperatures. As we head into
fall, our thoughts turn to football, freshly baked apple pies, and
Halloween. Halloween turns our thoughts
to candy and that most classic of Halloween candies: candy corn. At least it
does for me, which has inspired this
month’s UT Gardens Plant of the Month. The Candy Corn Plant, or Cuphea
micropetala, does indeed have a flower that resembles the iconic candy or
as some see it a lit cigar. That gives rise to another of common name, Mexican Giant Cigar Plant. Whatever similarity you see, this plant is a
great addition to the garden.
There are hundreds of cuphea species and several are grown
and sold as annual bedding plants in Tennessee. These include bat-faced cupheas
and a popular hybrid called ‘Vermillion’. Cuphea
micropetela, however, I would
classify as a half-hardy perennial. This Mexican native is one of the hardier
species and several catalogs suggest that it is hardy to zone 7B. Plant Delights
Nursery states that they have had reliable results as a perennial to 8 degrees.
In the UT Gardens Knoxville, we had one plant overwinter for at least six years
until last winter’s extended colder temperatures finally did it in. They’ve also experienced good overwintering success at the UT Gardens,
Jackson.
The appeal of this plant is the wonderful tubular blooms
that appear along sturdy stalks on the 3’ x 3’ herbaceous shrub. The one-half to
one-inch flowers begin to appear in late summer and bloom until a killing
frost. Starting out pale yellow, the flowers soon darken as they age to a
wonderful red-orange that compliments the fall foliage color palette and
reminds one of the aforementioned candy corn or lit cigar. While the
temperatures are still warm, hummingbirds are very attracted to the flowers. It
serves also as an attractant to butterflies and bees.
ea
micropetela requires
full sun and good drainage for maximum flower production and plant health. New
plants survive best when planted in the spring and allowed to establish
themselves all season. Once established, this plant can tolerate dry
conditions. As an herbaceous plant, it will die completely to the ground after
a hard freeze. An extra layer of mulch at that time may provide additional
protection from winter cold. Clean up the dead foliage in early spring and look
for new stems to emerge in late spring. The plant looks great in a rock garden,
in a mixed perennial border or as a specimen plant.
Ask your local garden center if they plan on having this
wonderful fall bloomer. If not, you can find it in catalogs or online with a
little searching. The reward for your efforts will be a beautiful addition to
your late-summer and fall landscape.
James Newburn is Assistant Director of the University of
Tennessee Gardens, Knoxville. The UT Gardens located in
Knoxville, Crossville and Jackson are part of the UT Institute of Agriculture
and have been designated as the official botanical garden for the State of Tennessee. The gardens
are open during all seasons and free to the public except during designated
special events. For more information see utgardens.tennessee.edu
Through its mission of research, teaching and extension, the University
of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) touches lives and provides Real.
Life. Solutions. ag.tennessee.edu
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Contact:
Patricia McDaniels, UTIA Marketing and Communications, 615-835-4570
, pmcdaniels@tennessee.edu