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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Lythraceae (Loosestrife) |
| Origin: Garden Origin |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Pink |
| Bloomtime: Year-round |
| Synonyms: [C. 'Kirstens Delight', Hort., C. sp. 'Pink'] |
| Parentage: (C. ignea x C. lanceolata?) |
| Height: 3-4 feet |
| Width: 4-6 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 15-20° F |
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Cuphea 'Kristin's Delight' (Pink Cigar Plant) - A fast growing evergreen subshrub (in mild climates) with woody lower stems and soft herbaceous new growth that to reaches to 3 to 4 feet tall by 5 to 6 feet wide with slender arching stems holding half to 1 inch long lanceolate blue-green leaves. Seemingly year-round in in mild climates appear the masses of bicolor flowers with ribbed floral tubes that are fuchsia-pink and lavender at the mouth with thin ear-like violet ears rising from tube lip - quite unique! The floral tube of Cuphea is created by the fusion of calyx and corolla and these ear-like appendages are actually the true petals. Plant in full sun to partial shade with regular irrigation (tolerates wet conditions as well). It is evergreen in mild climates but treated as a semi-hardy perennial in colder areas and useful in gardens in USDA Zones 9 and above. Kristin Yanker-Hansen, the namesake of the plant notes that this plant will freeze to the ground in a cold winter in her Danville, CA garden, but rebounds with warmer weather. A great plant in the garden for adding cool year round color as a specimen plant or tall groundcover and is great for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies. This plant and Cuphea 'David Verity' are both considered magnets to Rufous, Black-chinned and Anna's hummingbirds. There are over 260 species of Cupheas native to the Americas, both north and south with a large concentration in Central America and Mexico and there are many more named selections and cultivars. The name for the genus comes from the Greek word 'kyphos' (??f??) which means "bent", "curved", or "humped" in reference to the curved floral tube which is often slightly swollen on one side though some references not this might refer to the fruit or the hypanthium (flower receptacle). Bay area horticulturist Kristin Yanker-Hansen first got this plant from the late Gary Hammer, an amazing plant explorer and nurseryman who passed away well before his time. She gave the plant to Emerisa Gardens Nursery in Santa Rosa who named it after her. This plant appears similar to Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', which is listed as a hybrid between Cuphea ignea and C. angustifolia. We first purchased this plant as Cuphea 'Kirsten's Delight' in 2016 at the Mendocino Botanic Garden and it can also often be found labeled Cuphea 'Kristen's Delight', with Kristin's name misspelled.
This information about Cuphea 'Kristin's Delight' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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