Fairy Dust Pink Cuphea (Cuphea ramosissima 'Fairy Dust Pink')
KOO-fee-ah ramosissima 'Fairy Dust Pink'

(usually grown as an annual near you)

Cuphea is a large genus of roughly 250-275 species in the loosestrife family (Lythraceae), native mostly to Mexico, Central America, and South America, with a few species reaching into the southern United States. Common names for various species and hybrids include cigar plant, Mexican heather, false heather, firecracker plant, and bat-face flower.

Most garden Cuphea are tender evergreen perennial subshrubs that are killed by frost and grown as annuals outside USDA zones 9-11. They bloom continuously from spring until frost with small, tubular flowers in red, orange, purple, lavender, pink, or white, held above fine-textured foliage. The flowers are a strong draw for hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators.

Cuphea are easy, low-maintenance plants for full sun to partial shade and average, well-drained, evenly moist soil, and are widely used in garden beds, borders, hanging baskets, and mixed containers.

Pros

  • Nonstop blooms from spring to frost
  • Strong hummingbird and pollinator draw
  • Low-maintenance, heat-tolerant
  • Thrives in containers and garden beds

Cons

  • Not frost-hardy; grown as an annual in most climates
  • Flowers are small on some species
  • Can self-sow readily in warm regions
 

Plant Data

Tags Annual in Chicago, Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Showy Flowers, Tender Perennial, Thrillers
Flower Color

Photos of This with...

Fairy Dust Pink Cuphea, Supertunia Bordeaux Petunia, Superbena Stormburst Verbena, Superbells Doublette Love Swept Calibrachoa, Superbells Rising Star Calibrachoa, Supertunia Vista Jazzberry, Whirlwind Starlight Fan Flower, Plum Dandy Alternanthera, Angelface Cascade Blue Summer Snapdragon, Angelface Perfectly Pink Angelonia, Silver Bullet Wormwood, Goldilocks Rocks Bidens, Superbells Blue Moon Punch Calibrachoa, Superbells Double Orchid Calibrachoa, Superbells Evening Star Calibrachoa, Superbells Holy Smokes! Calibrachoa, Silver Falls Dichondra, Diamond Frost Spurge, Karalee Petite Pink Gaura, Stratosphere White Gaura, Patricia English Ivy, White Licorice, Sweet Caroline Bewitched Green With Envy Sweet Potato, Sweet Caroline Raven Improved Sweet Potato, Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Lime Sweet Potato, Patti's Pink Laurentia, Laguna Sky Blue Lobelia, Graceful Grasses Vertigo, Graceful Grasses Purple Fountain Grass, Supertunia Giant Pink Petunia, Supertunia Lovie Dovie Petunia, Supertunia Mini Vista Hot Pink Petunia, Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo Petunia, Supertunia Mini Vista White Petunia, Unplugged Pink Mealycup Sage, Whirlwind Pink Fan Flower, Lemon Coral Stonecrop, ColorBlaze Strawberry Drop Coleus, Persian Shield, Superbena Royale Chambray Verbena, Superbena Sparkling Amethyst Verbena, Sparkling Ruby Superbena, Superbena Whiteout Verbena, Meteor Shower Verbena,
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!