Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2001 15:17:36 +0000
From: "Nancy L. Newfield" <colibri@GS.VERIO.NET>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] RFI - Cardinal Spear?

Ron, Bill, et al.,

At 07:15 AM 9/19/01 -0700, Ron Rovansek wrote:

>Bill, Firespike, a.k.a. Cardinal spear, and scientifically called odentonema
>strictum seems to meet your description. It is a top rate hummer plant for
late
>summer and early fall. Tolerates shade, likes moist soils, usually not grownin
>full sun, but it will grow in full sun, should be root hardy throughout LA,
MS,
>probably most of Texas as well. Another possiblity is cardinals guard -
>pachystachys coccinia. This plant also has red flowers which emerge from a
>"shrimp" of green bracts, somewhat like the flowers on a shrimp plant do. This
>is a good hummer plant but probably not a grat choice for north LA since it
>may be irregularly hardy and will be nipped by frost before it blooms almost
>every year. Pachystahys coccinia is much less common in the nursery trade and
>in gardens than odontonema strictum, so my money is on firespike - odontonema
>stricum.

I'll be interested to see how well Firespike [aka Cardinal's Spear]
Odontonema strictum performs in the Shreveport area. It is an excellent
plant down here. My original plant was obtained from Longview Gardens in
November 1983. I put it in the ground and then took some cuttings, which I
also put in the ground. Christmas 1983 saw the most profound freeze I'veseen since beginning my adventure in hummingbirding. We experienced 5
consecutive days of sub-freezing temperatures [probably about 16 F.]. A
few weeks later, a similar freeze of 4 day's duration struck.

Hummer plants and hummers were hit hard. About 90% of the hummers I knew
about disappeared by the fourth day of the first freeze. A few were found
dead. Most hummer plants did not come back in the spring. But my newly
planted Firespike and its cuttings did indeed come back and prosper. My
current Firespike is one of the cuttings I took in November 1983. I have no
doubt it will grow well in Shreveport.

My interest will be in how well this plant stands up to frost early in the
winter. I know Shreveport will see frost long before the southern tier of
parishes. Will flowering be nipped before it has a chance to do much good
for hummers? How long does it take for the plant to recover and flower
after a hard freeze? I'll recommend planting it under some shade so that it
stands a good chance of having the flowering survive a few light frosts.

Cardinal's Guard Pachystachys coccinea is marginally hards here. I doubt it
would survive even the mildest winter in north Louisiana. Last winter's
mild frosts zapped my mature plants and one bit the dust. The other will
not likely flower this season.

NLN
*********************************
Nancy L. Newfield
Casa Colibr̩
Metairie, Louisiana USA
<colibri@gs.verio.net>

*********************************

=======================================================

Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2001 11:01:17 -0500
From: Paul Dickson <Paul@MORRISDICKSON.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] RFI - Cardinal Spear?

Nancy et al: I can offer only two year's experience of firespike in the
Shreveport area. In the first, a mild winter and then a better test as we
did have some icy weather last winter. When heavily frosted O. strictum
withers and turns a sickening shade of black. It can take light frost but a
freeze ends it for the season. It then shows an exposed crown all winter.
I mulched the crown as it seemed to look vulnerable. Regrowth comes late in
Spring with the first shoots growing very slowly until May hen more vigorous
growth occurs. What I planted last year is beginning to bloom now, new
plants put in this June have not bloomed yet. I would thus stamp it
approved for Shreveport.

Paul

=====================================================

Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 12:16:21 -0500
From: Van Remsen <najames@unix1.sncc.lsu.edu>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Firespike

Bill/HUMNET: I echo the comments of others on Firespike (Odontonema
strictum) -- it's moderately good for hummers, is perhaps the best hummer
plant for shady areas, is extremely root hardy (in Zone 8b) but foliage
turns black at 32.0 degrees. Perhaps not mentioned was that it spreads
(slowly but surely) is very easy to start from cuttings, is
pest-free at my place, and its big floppy leaves have a "tropical" look
that seems appropriate for south Louisiana.

#################################

Van Remsen,
LSU Museum of Natural Science,