Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Chuparosa - Red
Chuparosa is a Sonoran Desert native with gray-green stems and clusters of red tubular flowers, heaviest from winter into spring. Its name is Spanish for hummingbird, and hummingbirds fight over it. It takes full sun and reflected heat off walls on little water. Once it is rooted, a deep soak a couple of times a month carries it through summer.
Best for: native hummingbird gardens, winter color in hot, sunny spots, and an informal low hedge or screen.
The red tubular flowers are made for hummingbirds, and they bloom most in winter and spring. Migrating hummingbirds follow its bloom through the desert.
It likes full sun and even the reflected heat off walls and buildings. Some winters the whole plant looks covered in red.
It grows into a rounded, brambly shrub about 3 to 5 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. A row makes a loose, informal hedge on little water, as long as each plant gets its full width.
Long freezes near 26°F can damage it. In shade it gets leggy and blooms less. Crowded into a tight spot, it ends up cut back hard and looks worse for it.
- Group planting3 ft apart
- Open planting4 ft apart
Water every 3 to 4 days for the first two weeks, then every 5 to 7 days. By weeks 7 and 8, water about every 10 to 14 days.
Water about twice a month in summer and monthly the rest of the year. A soak every week or two keeps it fuller and flowering.
Remove frost damage in early spring. Trim lightly in late spring if it gets leggy.
Long freezes near 26°F can damage it. In cold spots, plant it against a south-facing wall.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
What does chuparosa mean?
It is Spanish for hummingbird. Hummingbirds are its pollinators and often fight over the plant, so plant a few if you want to feed more of them.
When does chuparosa bloom?
Flowers can show up in any month, but the big bloom runs from winter into spring. Drought or a freeze pauses it, and a soak every week or two keeps it blooming.
How big does it get?
Usually 3 to 5 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. Give it that full room at planting so you never have to cut it back hard.
How often should I water it?
Once rooted, about twice a month in summer and monthly the rest of the year. A soak every week or two gives a fuller plant with more flowers.
Why does it have so few leaves?
It drops leaves in drought and after a hard freeze, and it often shows mostly green stems. Some summer water keeps more leaves on.
Can it take full sun and reflected heat?
Yes. It likes full sun and even the reflected heat off walls. In shade it gets leggy and blooms less.
How cold hardy is it?
Quick dips into the low 20s are fine, but long freezes near 26°F can damage it. In cold spots, plant it by a south-facing wall, and remove frost damage in early spring.
How do I prune it?
Remove frost damage in early spring. If it gets leggy, trim it lightly in late spring, and avoid hard cutbacks by giving it full room at planting.
Do rabbits eat it?
It is rated rabbit resistant, so it is a good pick where rabbits eat other plants. It also has no thorns and drops little litter.
Is there a yellow chuparosa?
Yes. Some chuparosa plants have yellow or yellow-orange flowers, and we carry that form as Chuparosa - Yellow. Plant the two together for mixed color.
Chuparosa - Red for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Chuparosa is the red-flowered native shrub that hummingbirds depend on in the Sonoran Desert. This page covers size, bloom season, water, cold, pruning and how much room to give it.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Chuparosa, a native hummingbird plant
Chuparosa grows on rocky slopes and canyons from the Phoenix area south into Sonora and Baja California. Hummingbirds pollinate it, and migrating ones follow its bloom.
When does chuparosa bloom in Phoenix?
The big bloom runs from winter into spring, and flowers can appear in any month. Drought and freezes pause it.
How big does chuparosa get?
About 3 to 5 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide, as a rounded, brambly shrub. Give it that full room when you plant.
How often do you water chuparosa?
Once rooted, about twice a month in summer and monthly the rest of the year. It can live on less, but it looks fuller with regular water.
Is chuparosa cold hardy?
It handles quick dips into the low 20s, but long freezes near 26°F can damage it. Remove frost damage in early spring.
Red and yellow chuparosa
Most chuparosa has red flowers. Some plants have yellow or yellow-orange flowers, and we carry that form too.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.