(Fuchsia Giant Bicentennial) Fireworks and fountains of nectar for hummingbirds! That's what you get with Fuchsia 'Bicentennial', which is ideal for hanging baskets. The flowers are large bursts of marbled red and orange petals, creamy pink tubes, and sepals combining magenta and orange.
Orange is a rare color among Fuchsias, and its occurrence is cause for celebration. California Fuchsia hybridizer Ted Paskesen (1903-1979) - one of the longest members of the American Fuchsia Society - registered Bicentennial with the Society in 1976, which was a year of celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution.
The colors and large size of Giant Bicentennial's flowers provide its beauty-bursting-in-air appeal. One aspect of this size is the flower's number of petals. Bicentennial is categorized as a double Fuchsia due to having 8 or more petals. Semi-doubles have 5, 6, or 7 petals. Singles only have four. Although most giant flowered Fuchsias are doubles, there are also semi-double hybrids.
In contrast, Bicentennial's branches rise up about a foot before bending over and trailing. This bending characteristic is also called being procumbent, because - if planted in ground - the plant's branches creep without setting roots. In addition to procumbent species, the Fuchsia genus includes shrubs and climbers of varying heights. All require moist - not soggy - soil that is fertilized every two to three weeks. Some grow well in full sun, but all are agreeable to some degree of shade. Bicentennial needs partial shade throughout the day, such as on a patio where shade trees provide dappled sunlight.
The Fuchsia genus has homelands worldwide yet is primarily located in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The genus became a happy transplant to the Pacific Northwest and other cool, coastal climates (such as in Ireland and the UK) in the 1800s.