Shrimp Plant ‘Fruit Cocktail’
( Justicia Brandegeana ‘Fruit Cocktail’ )
Shrimp Plant “Fruit Cocktail” Origins:
– Native to Mexico Shrimp Plants are a great low water shade loving plant for the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area gardener. I fell in love with this beautiful flower when walking through the Jacksonville Zoo with my boys many, many years ago and although its taken me far to long to decide that they are just to hard to track down when I need them and to grow them ourselves, I’m so glad to have them growing and expect them to be ready for planting late summer of 2012! Justicia Brandegeana is a tried and true favorite for our Florida gardens and a great indoor plant in other areas, I know you’ll love this great soft almost pastel colored selection as much as I do… Happy
gardening!
Update, these plants are temporarily out of stock, sold the crop that we had ready pretty quickly this spring and so far havent been able to track down the plant starts again. Still trying!
Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail Preferred Exposure:
– Justicia Brandegeana Fruit Cocktail will grow in full sun or shade in
the North Florida landscape. The flowers and leaves will tend have better color in a shadier landscape situation in Florida’s sun soaked gardens, but by all means plant it where you want it and let it grow!
Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail Foliage | Bark:
– Bright green foliage is oval to elliptical in form and about 21/2 inches in
length.
Justicia Brandegeana Fruit Cocktail Shrimp Plant Soil Preference / Salt
Tolerance:
– Shrimp plant Fruit Cocktail is widely tolerant of soil conditions.
– Salt tolerance unknown
Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail Size Variance:
– Shrimp Plant Justicia Brandegeana will grow slightly smaller than the species only tending to grow to 2-3 ft high and wide in the North Florida gardens landscape.
Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail Growth Habit:
– Rounded growth habit, best results when tipped back as a small plant a few times until dense branches and foliage is obtained and then allowed to bloom.
Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail Growth Rate:
– Fast growing plant will grow 6 inches to a 1 foot in a seasons time.
Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail Bloom:
– Shrimp Plants are grown for their unique blooms and Fruit Cocktail is
defiantly no exception. One of my personal favorite selections for its soft pink and limey greenish yellow coloring that reminds me of Ice cold Sherbert and just makes my North Florida sun soaked garden
seem a bit cooler… just by looking at them.
Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail Water Requirements:
– Water well after planting during the establishment period and reduce water once your plant has resumed active growth in the landscape.
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
– Butterfly and Hummingbird attracting!!!
Best Uses For Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail:
– Low water use landscape plant that is surprisingly cold hardy and a
perfect choice to add flower color to those green, green and more green shaded garden spots. But don’t rule out Shrimp plants for sunnier locations, they aren’t picky and will grow there to.
– Easy care low maintenance plat for the gardener who wants to look like
they spend allot of time in their garden without actually spending allot of time on their garden. Almost constantly in bloom whether you decide to trim them back or not.
Care of Shrimp Plant Fruit Cocktail Plants:
– Pinch back newly planted smaller shrimp plants several times
until multiple bushy stems and foliage have developed and then let them go and watch them bloom. All Justicia respond well to pruning and can be sheared back after blooming for another spectacular blooming show in the spring summer and fall.
– Don’t like to fuss with your plants? Leave them be without pruning and you will still be amazed at how well these plants bloom, they will just tend to be a bit more sprawling.
– Water Justicia Brandegeana Fruit Cocktail every day during the establishment period. Reduce water when plants have resumed growth in the landscape.
– Fertilize each spring with a heaping shovel full of well aged compost or a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the foliage of the plant.