Care of a Sapphire Shower Plant

Location

• The species from which Sapphire Showers is derived hails from scrub and woodlands in the West Indies and parts of Central and South America. The plant has naturalized throughout tropical parts of Florida. Sapphire Showers is a suitable landscape plant for U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness zones 9 through 11, and may even grow in zone 8, though it will likely die down in the winter. The plant will produce its best flowers if planted in a location with access to bright, full sun.

Soil

• Though Sapphire Showers is not especially picky about soil, adequate drainage is essential to the health of the shrub. Plants cultivated in poorly draining, heavy soils may succumb to rot and other complications. Fertilize three to four times a year during the growing season with a slow release fertilizer to help aid flower and foliage development. Water regularly, especially during hot summer droughts. Sapphire Showers is only moderately drought tolerant.

Maintenance

• Sapphire Showers is a low maintenance plant that requires little care to look its best. The occasional trimming, however, helps to form a denser, bushier plant, leading to increased flower production. Sapphire Showers blooms on new wood rather than old wood, and pruning encourages new branches to form. The shrub may be cultivated on a trellis to form a vine-like shape, or it may be heavily pruned to create more of a tree-like shape.

Considerations

• Though fast growing, Sapphire Showers is not considered invasive. The durable plant is capable of withstanding alkaline soils and has some tolerance of soil salinity. The plant attracts butterflies with its flowers, and hummingbirds with its attractive orange fruits. The main drawback to growing Sapphire Showers is that its fruits and foliage contain toxic compounds that are poisonous if ingested. The shrub is a poor choice for areas where children play.