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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

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Tuesday - August 29, 2006

From: Ida Grove, IA
Region: Midwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Wintering over a Cuphea ignea in Iowa Zones 4-5
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have a Cigar Plant, or a cuphea. I live in Iowa and need to know how to take care of this plant. Does this plant die and that's it, or does this plant come back year after year?

ANSWER:

Cigar plant (Cuphea ignea) is a tropical plant, native to Mexico and the Caribbean. It can withstand light frosts (USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8-9) and come back in the spring; but, for Iowa in Zones 4-5, I'm afraid it would be 'goner' left outdoors in the winter. It could, however, be grown in a pot as a houseplant and moved outside in its container during frost-free weather to become part of your landscaping.
 

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