Indian Pink
Spigelia marilandica
Scarlet tubular flowers with starry yellow throats, built for hummingbirds from late May through July. Tidy clumps that stay clean all season.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
No other native perennial delivers that red-and-yellow hummingbird flower in shade. it's the plant that makes woodland edge gardens hum.
Indian Pink is one of the most striking hummingbird plants in the native perennial world: the tubular flowers are bright scarlet red on the outside, opening to a pure, starry yellow interior at the tip. This two-tone effect is specifically evolved for hummingbird pollination, and the birds find it reliably from late May through July. The upright, one-to-two-foot clumps are clean and tidy, with dark green, opposite leaves that hold beautifully all season, making Indian Pink an excellent front-of-border plant even when out of bloom. While it's a southeastern native best suited to moist, rich, woodland-edge conditions, it performs remarkably well in part shade gardens throughout Virginia and the mid-Atlantic. Give it consistent moisture, some afternoon shade in hot summers, and rich soil, and it will come back reliably each year without spreading aggressively. A small mass planting under a high canopy at the edge of a lawn becomes a hummingbird station from June onward.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown indian pink propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 1.5–2 ft · 12–18 in wide
- Bloom time
- Late spring, midsummer
- Bloom color
- Yellow, Red
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Family
- Loganiaceae
- Native range
- Southeastern US from Maryland south to Florida and west to Kansas; rich, moist deciduous woodlands and stream banks
Care notes for indian pink.
Part shade to full sun with afternoon shade protection in hot summers. Moist, rich, well-drained soil. Consistent moisture is key. do not allow to dry out. Mulch well. Slow to establish but long-lived once settled. Divide in early spring every four to five years. Cut to ground after frost. Protect from slug damage in spring when new growth emerges.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside indian pink.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.