Ixora 'Maui Red'

Ixora 'Maui Red' is a compact tropical evergreen shrub, listed botanically as Ixora coccinea 'Maui Red', carrying rounded clusters of small tubular flowers in red to red-orange above glossy leaves that emerge bronze and mature dark green. It blooms in flushes through the warm months, which is why it fills so many hedges and foundation beds in frost free gardens. Grow it in full sun for the heaviest flowering, in moist but well drained acidic soil; alkaline ground brings on iron and manganese chlorosis, and salt tolerance is poor. The species comes from southern Asia and is dependable in USDA zones 10 and 11, with zone 9b its northern limit because frost injures it. Unpruned, the species reaches 10 to 15 feet, while 'Maui Red' is a moderate grower usually held near 3 to 4 feet with a cutback in early spring; constant shearing trades flowers for shape.