Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 8 Feb 2026

How to grow Chinese Hat Flower

Holmskioldia sanguinea - Chinese Hat Flower

🎩 How to grow Chinese Hat Flower - when winter colors most needed

  • The Holmskioldia sanguinea, better known as the Chinese Hat Flower, gets its name honestly. Each bloom looks like a tiny hat or parasol - a little tube backed by a flat, round disc. Once you notice it, you cannot unsee it!
  • What really makes this plant special is when it blooms. While most gardens slow down, Chinese Hat Flower kicks into gear from winter through early spring. The branches fill with flowers first, and the leaves follow later. It is one of those plants that quietly steals the show when everything else is taking a break.

    • More than one color


    Most people know the classic red form, but there are several color varieties worth mentioning:

🔴 Red - the most common and bold
🟡 Yellow - Holmskioldia citrina, bright and cheerful, harder to find
🟠 Bronze / orange-bronze - warm tones that glow in winter light
Having different colors makes it easy to mix them or use just one as a winter focal point.

    • How it grows and where it works best


    Chinese Hat Flower is a fast-growing, scrambling shrub. It is not stiff or formal. Think loose, graceful branches that like support. It does great when trained on:

· Trellises
  • · Fences
  • · Arbors
  • · Large containers with a support
  • · You can also let it grow as a free-form shrub and lightly prune to keep it tidy.


Care, the practical version

  • · Light: Full sun to light shade
  • · Water: Regular watering, especially while establishing
  • · Soil: Well-drained, not picky
  • · Pruning: After flowering to shape and encourage new growth
Once established, it is easygoing and forgiving.

Bonus points

  • · Blooms when the garden needs color most
  • · Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds
  • · Works as a flowering screen or accent plant
  • · Looks tropical without being high-maintenance

If you like plants that earn their space and do something interesting in winter, Chinese Hat Flower is one to keep in your garden.

🛒 Explore varieties of winter-blooming Chinese Hats

📚 Learn more:

Plant Facts

Holmskioldia sanguinea
Chinese hat, Cup and Saucer, Parasol Flower, Mandarins hat
USDA Zone: 9-11
Large shrub 5-10 ft tallVine or creeper plantSemi-shadeFull sunKeep soil moistRed, crimson, vinous flowersPlant attracts butterflies, hummingbirdsSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeSeaside, salt tolerant plant
  • · Holmskioldia - Chinese Hat - in Plant Encyclopedia
  • · This is the bush you should let flower for you: Chinese Hat is in bloom
  • · Why is it called Chinese Hat Flower
  • · Colorful varieties of Holmskioldia sanguinea - Chinese Hat Flower
  • · 13 festive shrubs with bright flowers that bring color to your Winter Garden when everything else is dormant
  • · Ten shrubs you need to have for winter colors

    • #Butterfly_Plants #How_to #Hedges_with_benefits

    🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

    Date: 21 Mar 2026

    Today: Spring Equinox Plant Festival 🌿

    Smokey the tuxedo cat holding Sunshine's coffee while Sunshine carries a large stack of donut boxes in a tropical nursery with lush plants and an equinox sale poster
    Sunshine:Smokey, hold my coffee. Donuts are coming. Big day today.

    Smokey: Under control. Try not to drop half of them.

    Both: Friends, come over today.

    Everything is ready for today at our Spring Equinox Plant Festival. The garden is full and we would love to see you. Come over today and enjoy it with us. SEE FULL EVENT DETAILS

    Date: 24 Jun 2018

    Cold hardy tropical fruit trees for Luisiana

    Q: I've just moved to Louisiana and have been wondering whether it would make sense to plant some tropical fruit trees in our garden. Average lows in New Orleans are 41 deg F in January and February, although we did hit 25 once with the Arctic vortex. I'm interested in litchi, longan, rambutans, and persimmons. Do you have varieties that can tolerate Louisiana's temperature range? I'd love mangosteen but I don't suppose they will survive. Do you have any suggestions on tropical fruit trees that I could try?

    A: Average temperatures are for statistics only; it is actual temperatures that may hurt your cold sensitive plant. This is what you should keep in mind when starting your tropical fruit collection:
    1) Ultra-tropical plants like Rambutan can not survive winters below 45-50F. However, they can be successfully grown in containers in a greenhouse or moved indoors into a sun room during cold periods.
    2) Tropical plants like Litchi and Longan may take some light frost once established. Still, for areas with freeze our advice is - keep them in pots and move inside in case of cold.
    3) There is a number of subtropical fruit trees that are hardy enough to take some freeze. Persimmon, Feijoa, Fig, Cattley Guava, Jujube, Kiwi, some Eugenias and others. Please refer to our Tropical Fruit Sensitivity Chart.
    4) Remember that plant's ability to survive winter depends on several factors, not only temperature itself. Important factors are: wind protection (chill wind kills rather than low temperature itself), exposure, how close the tree is planted to the house, plant maturity and its overall strength and health. If a plant had received good nutrients during summer, has well established root system, planted in enclosed area protected from winds and has plenty of bright sunlight - it has better chances to survive than a weak plant in warmer conditions.
    5) Use SUNSHINE plant boosters

    Date: 21 Jan 2017

    Growing a coconut palm

    Date: 18 Jan 2017

    10 plants that can make you happy.
    3D garden ideas.

    3D garden ideas.
    Q:     Can you make my yard bigger and prevent it from freezing?

    A: Yes, we can make your backyard bigger by adding a 3rd dimension - trees as a upper level, shrubs as a second level, vines in between, low growing perennials below them. Add ground covers and potted plants as separate specimens in between in-ground planted trees and shrubs. One more separate dimension is orchids and other epiphytes that happily grow on the trees. This multi-level structure will allow you not only collect so many plants, but also maintain them in a natural environment, similar to how they grow in a wild.

    As far as preventing from freezing - it depends. You can use greenhouse, cover plants, create microclimate under large canopies, etc. Some tropical plants are tolerant to light frost, once established. If it gets below freezing in your area for more than a few hours, and especially if you have numerous nights with frost throughout winter, we recommend to keep plants in pots (BTW, this way you save space and can collect even more!). Pots can be moved to protected area during cold nights. The more established the tree, the more chances to survive colder temperatures. You may also use propane heaters during cold nights.
    We also use plant booster SUNSHINE boosters to increase plants cold tolerance.
    Cold protection is a lengthy subject. Here is some more information on cold protection. Also, we recommend to check out our magazine Tropical Treasures (about pushing the limits of tropical gardening) for a detailed article on cold protection.
    These are specific articles on Zone-Pushing in different issue #s regarding dealing with cold. See downloadable issues:
    (#1) Growing Tropicals in Nontropical Climate, Three Freezing Nights in Southwest Florida
    (#2) Temperature drops - an alert or a rehearsal?
    (#5) Dealing with cold snaps, Cold hardy beauties
    (#7) When winter is around the corner, Growing exotic Cordyline in colder climate
    (#8) When the weather outside is frightful
    (#9) Winter champions
    (#11) Ready-for-winter checklist for in-ground plants
    (#13) Winter checklist
    (#18) Dealing with cold damaged plants
    You may also order hard copies.
    If temperatures drop below freezing in your area, remember to add Heat Pack to your order!

     

    10 plants that will make you happy.

    Everyone wants to be happy. Did you know that growing plants is not only fun but can also make you happy? In our new series we will introduce to you 10 plants for your tropical collection that will make you happy.
    Visit our Facebook, YouTube Channel and stay happy!

    Check out this video: 10 plants that will make you happy. Plant # 1 - Rose Apple.

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