Information about plants & gardens for Brisbane & Qld

Russelia

Russelia equisetiformis

Other Common Names: firecracker plant, coral fountain, fountainbush
Family: Plantaginaceae (formerly in Scrophulariaceae)

This is a mounding shrubby groundcover which is perfect for cascading over retaining walls. Red is the common old flower colour, but there are now pale yellow and pale orange varieties available. There are also new smaller, more compact dwarf forms.

Regular garden centres are the place to look for ruselia if you want to buy plants.

Russelia equisetiformis was covered in detail in the 20-11-2020 edition of Get Results Gardening. If you're looking for information on other easy-to-grow plants, particularly for SE Qld and similar climates, plus other useful gardening information and interesting news about plants, check out this weekly email publication. Find out how to get a free trial at calyx.com.au/getresultsgardening.html