- Light Requirement is Full Sun
- Height 18-28 Inches
- Width 12-24 Inches
- Use as a filler when using in containers
- Drought tolerant and great for hummingbirds!
- Growing Zones 8 - 11
Vermillionaire® Large Firecracker Plant (Cuphea hybrid 'cupver') has deep green foliage with long, tubular orange/yellow/red flowers. Hummingbirds love this plant and will seek it out in a garden. Since it blooms all spring, summer, and until frost in the fall, you have beautiful color in your garden for a long time. This plant loves heat and direct sun, so is great for the southern United States.
Once the plant is established, it is very drought tolerant. Vermillionaire® Large Firecracker Plant is a good filler when planted in a container with other plants because of its mounded growth habit and pretty flowers. Vermillionaire® can mark a border and no one can say they didn’t know it was there. It makes a statement as a mass planting and can be a specimen plant in the landscape.
Vermillionaire Cuphea Care
Vermillionaire® loves full sun and heat. It gets long and lanky in part shade. This plant requires regular fertilization from spring until the fall to keep reblooming. No deadheading is necessary, the flowers will drop off when spent. While the adult plant is very drought tolerant, it needs regular watering when growing. Vermillionaire® does just fine with average soil.
Vermillionaire® should not be cut back in winter. If there are issues with dead material, or the plant gets leggy, prune it when it starts new growth in the spring. If you bring this plant indoors for the winter, it will need direct sun and a warm place to stay. If you live in a zone colder than 8a, the plant won’t make it through the winter, so plan on planting replacements next spring.
Vermillionaire Cuphea Spacing
Sometimes it is hard to know how much space a grown plant will need when you are planting the baby plants. It can look sparse until the plants start growing. You need to space Vermillionaire® 12-18 inches from other plants so it has room to spread out to 12-24 inches wide when fully grown. You can put small plants in front of Vermillionaire® because it will grow to be 12-18 inches tall.
Vermillionaire® Cuphea Information
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-11 |
Flower Color(s): Orange, Red, Yellow |
Flower Description: Orange with Red And Yellow Highlights |
Bloom Period: Planting To Frost |
Foliage Color(s) Green |
Light Exposure: Full Sun |
Height Class: Medium |
Height: 18-28 Inches |
Spread: 12-24 Inches |
Spacing: 12-18 Inches |
Habit: Mounded |
Watering: Average |
Drought Tolerant: Yes |
Attracts: Hummingbirds |
Container Role: Filler |
Use Types: Border Plant, Container, Landscape, Mass Planting |
Features: Continuous Bloom or Rebloomer, Deadheading Not Necessary, Pollinator Attractor |
Maintenance: Easy |
Scientific Name: Cuphea hybrid 'cupver' |
Common Name: Vermillionaire® Cuphea |
Other Name(s): Firecracker plant, cigar flower, Mexican cigar plant, Mexican heather, Hawaiian heather, bat flower, bunny ears, false heather, elfin herb |
Plant Type: Annual |
Brand: Proven Winners |
- SKU:
- CUPVEP
Container Sizes
Please Note: The pictures below are to give a general representation of the different container sizes. The actual size/ages of plants are estimates and will vary based on; type of plant, time of year, last pruning & many other factors.
For more detailed information, please click here.
Plant Addict Guarantee (Included On All Plant Orders)
Plant Addicts Warranty - 1 Year (Extra Purchase Required)

Guide: How to Care for Your New Plant(s)

Planter Shipping
Standard Colors: 2-3 business days
Special Order Colors: 8 weeks - this is due to the planter being custom made with the color(s) of your choice
Please Note: On special orders there can not be any cancellations
Plant Shipping
Time of Order:
Summer Shipping
- If there is extreme heat we’ll delay shipping.
- We’ll have to review what areas the plants are traveling through along with your location
Once your plant is shipped you’ll receive an email with tracking information. Depending on the above criteria we’ll ship your plant(s) towards beginning of the following week from your order. We put together this helpful guide of what to do when you receive your plants in the mail.
It is important to know that all of our plants are clearly labeled for which growing zones the plant can survive in. The plants are thoroughly trialed and tested in every growing zone before we state the plant can grow in a zone. Again, our #1 priority is to ship the plants to you healthy and ready to thrive in your location. So we will do everything in our power to do so.