Chenille Plants, Delivered and Planted in Southwest Florida
Chenille plant is a fast tropical shrub with long, fuzzy red flower tails that look like chenille, and it blooms nearly year-round in warm, sheltered parts of Southwest Florida. It is good as a colorful hedge or specimen in sun to part shade, but frost and salt spray damage it. Plants come in 3, 7 and 15 gallon, delivered and planted.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade
- Water:
- Regular to moderate; moist, well-drained soil
- Salt:
- Low; keep out of salt spray
Chenille Plant
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Chenille Plant sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Plant | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Chenille Plant | 3 Gallon, 7 Gallon, 15 Gallon |
Chenille Plant in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 4 to 8 ft tall and 4 to 8 ft wide; easily pruned smaller
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular to moderate; moist, well-drained soil
- Salt tolerance
- Low; keep out of salt spray
- Cold tolerance
- Frost-tender: leaves burn in a light frost and a hard freeze can kill it to the ground
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Spacing
- 4 to 5 ft apart for a hedge
- Florida native
- No
- Botanical name
- Acalypha hispida
Where Chenille Plant works in a SW Florida yard
Chenille plant is a conversation piece, so put it where the hanging tails can be seen up close: beside a patio, near a pool or at the corner of a lanai. As a hedge or mass, space plants 4 to 5 ft apart and prune to size.
Pair it with green foliage like Philodendron and Ginger, or with Heliconia for hot colors, and keep it out of open, windy lots.
- Flowering tropical hedge
- Pool and patio accent
- Sheltered courtyard specimen
- Big container plant
How our crew plants it
Pick a sheltered spot with morning sun or filtered light and well-drained soil. Dig twice as wide as the pot, set the root ball level with the soil and add compost to sandy backfill.
Space 4 to 5 ft apart for a hedge. Water in well and mulch. Lee and Collier allow extra watering on new plantings, and it wilts fast if it dries out.
Care after planting
- Keep the soil evenly moist and mulched, since chenille wilts quickly in dry spells.
- Prune after the main bloom to keep it compact, because it grows fast and goes leggy without a trim.
- Fertilize in spring and fall with a balanced slow-release shrub fertilizer, and use no nitrogen or phosphorus products between June 1 and September 30.
- Cover on frost nights and wait until spring to cut back damaged stems.
What to watch for
- Scale, mites, whiteflies and aphids are the usual pests, especially in partial shade, so spray with horticultural oil or soap early.
- Frost and salt spray burn the leaves, so give it a sheltered spot away from open wind and the water's edge.
Chenille Plant questions we hear
Does chenille plant bloom all year in Florida?+
Nearly. It flowers year-round in warm weather, with the heaviest bloom in summer. Cool winter weeks slow it down, and frost stops it. Pruning after a bloom flush keeps it bushy, and full sun to bright shade gives more flowers than deep shade.
How big does a chenille plant get?+
Plan on 4 to 8 ft tall and wide, and it grows fast. Older plants can get taller. Pruning after flowering keeps it where you want it, and it works as a hedge at 4 to 5 ft spacing.
Can chenille plant survive frost in Cape Coral?+
Light frost burns the leaves and a hard freeze can kill it to the ground, though plants often regrow from the base. The coast rarely sees damage, but inland lots do. Plant it against a south or east wall and cover it on frost nights. It is not for open, windy sites.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Chenille Plant
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
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See it in 3D first
We deliver and plant across Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and about an hour around.