Trailing Chenille Plant, Strawberry Firetails, Red-Hot Cat’s Tail, Kitten’s Tail, Strawberry Firetails, Dwarf Chenille Plant

Description

The fuzzy dangling crimson flowers of this tough little trailing perennial are born throughout the warmer months of the year or all year long when grown indoors. Generally considered an annual, the Trailing Chenille Plant is actually a cold hardy and durable perennial suitable for full sun or light shade. It makes the perfect hanging basket plant or spiller for container gardens or trailing over walls where its fiery red catkins provide a continuous display of color. In the northern portions of its cold hardiness range it is a die-back perennial freezing to the ground and returning in spring to flower again from summer to frost. Tough as nails and with few pests or diseases in the garden where as a groundcover it can build to about 8-12″ high. Many resources suggest that Trailing Chenille is only cold hardy to zone 10 but we have grown it for years as a ground cover under varying conditions and have seen it take 15oF more than once only to return in spring. Dr. Dave Creech of SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin has also told us that he knows of a place in or near Shreveport, Louisiana where it does just fine as a perennial as well. As with any tropical plant that is to be grown as a perennial it is always best to establish them in the garden in spring and provide a mulch in winter. Trailing Chenille Plant is also known as: Strawberry Firetails , Red-Hot Cat’s Tail, Kitten’s Tail, Strawberry Firetails, and Dwarf Chenille Plant.