RE: Yellow Shrimp Plant lights up the Backyard.
Yellow Shrimp Plant
Tropical Flowers for Temperate Gardens
Also known as lollipop plant, yellow shrimp plant (Pachstachys lutea) is semi-tropical, but don't let that stop you from trying it this year. They usually flaunt gaudy flowers and foliage (if they didn't, people wouldn't plant them) and they love hot weather. No matter how hot it gets, they continue to bloom while many temperate plants either go dormant or fry.
Yellow shrimp plants gets its name for the upright, yellow cones of bracts that appear atop its stems. Small, white flowers emerge from these bracts and attract both hummingbirds and butterflies.
The cones are about 3-4 inches long and very showy. They self-clean, meaning that as soon as a cone gets old, it drops off by itself and is replaced by a new one. No deadheading or grooming needed. The show continues from spring until fall.
It grows 4-5 feet tall and wide. That sounds big, but you can easily keep it smaller and bushier through occasional pruning, which does not diminish flowering.
Other Varieties
Red Shrimp Plant
Blue Shrimp Plant
White Shrimp Plant
