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Chilean Fire Bush - a hidden jewel in our garden

It is heartbreaking that this beauty is hidden in our garden but at least the hummingbirds have found it. Hidden because it is planted behind a 7 feet tall rose. I planted it there because I was under the impression that it would become a tree. It can indeed become a tree and there is one growing about a mile from our house that is around 20 feet tall.  In our garden, it is taking its sweet time and is only 4 feet tall after being planted seven years ago (2017). It did not begin to bloom until its fifth year and this is the first year flowering has been so profuse. Whenever I think about this plant, I always remember what the Gosslers said in their book "The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs". I quote it here: "Since this plant comes from southern Chile, we begin with a word of warning: it will not grow anywhere in the United States outside western Washington, Oregon and northern California. People wanting to grow E. coccineum in the eastern part of the country will
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The Deep Freeze



We are in a prolonged freeze with snow cover (I am guessing 3-4 inches).  Thankfully, this was a dry snow. It all started on Friday night with the majority of it hitting us yesterday. The temperature plunged to 18 where it remained all day with a constant snowfall. Actually, I am appreciative of the snow since it will help insulate plants during this long cold spell. It may be Thursday before we climb above 32 and freezing rain is predicted for Tuesday.

We had advanced warning and I covered some plants on Friday. 




I was more concerned with the hummingbirds and it is an endless job trying to keep them unthawed. At present, we have six feeders in the garden. I brought four of them inside for the night and the other two, the ones that are the most difficult to access, I covered with fleece that Michael rustled up for me. The next morning, the two feeders left out were frozen the next morning, but not solid and the hummingbirds were using them. I've been following that same cycle since then but today I put Christmas lights one of the feeders and hope that will do a better job. After all this, I'm seriously thinking about trying the hummingbird feeder heaters. It is rare, however, to have such a long stretch like this of freezing weather. 




We are fortunate that we did not get the harsh winds that Portland got and so far, we have not lost power. There have been power outages in our county but the worst areas are in Portland.






Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Kris PetersonJanuary 15, 2024 at 10:22 AM

    Your garden looks lovely with its snowy blanket, Phillip. I hope that blanket protects your plants against the icy rain you expect later this week. I saw an interesting trick for keeping hummingbird feeders liquid on Instagram yesterday. My recollection is that the poster taped handwarmers to the bottom of the feeder.

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    1. AnonymousJanuary 15, 2024 at 11:02 AM

      Yes, I have heard that as well. I have not tried it yet.

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  2. tz_gardenJanuary 15, 2024 at 1:07 PM

    Your garden does look pretty with the blanket of snow. I can't believe how many days of freeze in a row! So glad your power stayed on.

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