KEEP WIMLERLEY BEAUTIFUL

In the heat of the summer the Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is at its flowering peak. The orange, red and yellow flowers attract our eye, butterflies and hummingbirds. It is not a native plant, but it is adapted to our environment. Once it is established it does not take much watering or maintenance.

Pride of Barbados is also commonly called Peacock Flower, Mexican Bird of Paradise and Barbados Flower Fence. In frost free climates it is evergreen and can grow 12 feet tall. Here in Hill Country, it freezes back each winter and gets about 6-8 feet tall when it is mature. It is one of the last plants to emerge in the spring. People often think it will not return after a hard freeze, but a little mulch in the winter will help it to return.

I have noticed that it is available for purchase locally. If you buy it in the heat of the summer you will need to water it regularly, especially if you plant it in the ground. You can keep it in a pot, still watering it regularly and plant it in the fall when rains return and it cools off. Pride of Barbados definitely needs sun to bloom well. I have one in a semi shaded spot and it lives, but does not bloom like the ones planted in the sun.

I have seen Caesalpinia pulcherrima blooming in deer accessible areas, but I would still put a wire fence around it until it is a mature plant. The long flat seed pods are typical of plants in the pea family. I have cut back branches with seed pods and discarded the branches in locations where I would like future plants. The seeds from the branches germinated to give me baby seedlings. If you have a sunny spot and are looking for a plant that will bloom in the heat of the summer, you might try a Pride of Barbados.

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist