The Compact Perennial Shrub With Bright Blooms That Come Back Every Year

Gardeners seeking the best flowering shrubs to plant in a small yard or garden may want to consider a compact gem that has a lot going for it. This easy-to-care-for perennial boasts vibrant blooms from mid-spring to mid-fall, and is drought-resistant and fast-growing. If you haven't guessed already, we're talking about the Cape Town Orange Tecomaria, a fiery plant in the Cape Town series of cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis).

The flowers of cape honeysuckles are well-known for attracting all kinds of pollinators, from butterflies and bees to hummingbirds. The bright orange, trumpet-shaped blooms of Cape Town Orange Tecomaria only serve to emphasize this point. Unlike its parent plant, Tecomaria capensis, which can grow to more than 7 feet in height and can be trained on a trellis, Cape Town Orange Tecomaria is a small shrub reaching just 60 inches." This shrub also deserves a spot on the list of deer-resistant shrubs to landscape your yard and protect your garden.

As a tropical, perennial, outdoor shrub, Cape Town Orange Tecomaria is a warm-climate plant that is hardy in Zones 9 to 11 and will bloom through winter in those zones. You can grow it in cooler zones, where it will come back in the spring after dying back in the winter, and should be covered during a frost. Cape Town Orange Tecomaria is also easy to grow and care for.

The shrub tolerates most soil types, as long as the soil is moist and well-draining. Plant Cape Town Orange Tecomaria in a spot with full sun to partial shade. This shrub fits right in with the landscaping trend that will save you money on your water bill because it is considered both waterwise — meaning it has a low need for supplemental water — and drought-tolerant once established. Water weekly during the summer to keep it evenly moist, and be careful not to let roots stand in water. Place up to 2 inches of mulch around the shrub, but not touching the stem. Expect this fast-growing shrub to reach about 60 inches tall and 72 inches wide.

To boost flowering, you can add fertilizer in early spring. Prune if you want the shrub to keep its shape and to remove dead branches, but only after flowering. Cape Town Orange Tecomaria is not susceptible to diseases and is typically pest-free when grown outdoors. Propagate Cape Town Orange Tecomaria by division of the rootball, stem cuttings, or layering.