 | Flowers of the Fuchsia genus are extravagantly rich in color and so evocative of petticoats and ballet tutus that many of us have childhood memories of plucking and twirling these hanging, tubular blossoms like dancers. Hummingbirds adore them due to their rich nectar and pigments in the red range, including crimson, oranges, pinks (rosy white to magenta), and purples. The genus includes about 110 species, which encompass creeping, climbing, trailing, and vertical, tree-like species. All thrive in partial shade, but some grow well in full sun in cooler, coastal settings. Fuchsias love rich, moist, well-drained soil similar to that of their native settings in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Mexico and Central America, and throughout South America all the way to its southern tip. Given these characteristics and origins, they are fine garden companions for Salvias that prefer rich, moist soils, such as Anise Scented Sages. Depending on their species, or their hybrid parent plants (intentional or accidental), Fuchsias are cold tolerant from about USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 6 (F. magellanica) to Zone 11 (F. triphylla). Most have difficulty surviving frost and are only perennial in mild winter areas. However, they are excellent annuals in some colder zones. Although not native to America, the USDA identifies some Fuchsias as being introduced but not invasive in California, Hawaii, and Oregon. So, parts of these states are comfortable perennial homes for certain species and their many hybrids. Father John Plumier (1646 - 1704) - a member of the French Catholic Order of Minims and a revered botanical illustrator and engraver - was the first plant explorer to record the Fuchsia genus. He did this through his drawings of the species F. triphylla, which he found on Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic) during his third voyage to the New World around 1695. Pacific Horticulture notes that Fuchsias were being hybridized in Europe by the 1840s. It adds that in 1854, a San Francisco exhibition introduced 24 hybrids to California gardens, and a floral love affair blossomed. In the 1980s, many Fuchsias in North America succumbed to South American gall mites. But by 2006, horticulturists succeeded in creating a number of hybrids that resist these predators. |
(Balkonkonïgin Fuchsia) A deep pink tube flares into pale pink sepals atop a plum-pink corolla in Fuchsia ‘Balkonkonïgin’. Red veined, mid-green foliage surrounds the small to medium sized flowers that hummingbirds love. Balkonkonïgin is German for “Balcony Queen.”
(Beacon Fuchsia) Upright with bushy, dark green foliage, Fuchsia ‘Beacon’ has deep pink sepals that flare or drape demurely over mauve-pink corollas. It’s a short, compact shrub that is ideal for perennial borders, containers, and for growing as a summer-blooming annual.
(Fuchsia Blue Eyes) Bright blue corollas are topped by pale pink sepals in Fuchsia 'Blue Eyes', an upright to trailing fuchsia with medium to large blossoms. Ideal for display in a hanging basket, Blue Eyes’ branches rise about 4 to 8 inches before trailing.
(Cardinal Fuchsia) Introduced in 1938 by the historic Evans & Reeves Nurseries in Southern California, Fuchsia ‘Cardinal’ is a tall shrub with flowers composed of lovely red sepals and magenta corollas.
(Celia Smedley Fuchsia) White to light pink sepals flare out over the strawberry red petals of Fuchsia ‘Celia Smedley’. The flowers hang pendulously amid the veined, mid-green foliage of this mid-sized, upright beauty.
(China Lantern Fuchsia) White, pale pink, and red combine in the elegant flowers of Fuchsia ‘China Lantern’. Hummingbirds love this is long blooming, trailing choice that is ideal for hanging baskets and containers.
(Display Fuchsia) Along borders and in containers, the floriferous, petite Fuchsia ‘Display’ puts on a long-blooming show with its rose-pink corollas topped with flirty skirts of upward flipping carmine red sepals.
(Fanfare Fuchsia) Slender and abundant, the 2-inch-long flowers of Fuchsia ‘Fanfare’ have deep red sepals that flare over a corolla of orange-red petals. Hummingbirds love these tubular blossoms hanging amid glossy, deep green leaves.
(Fred Swales Fuchsia) Coral pink sepals, which gradually fade to a rosy-white with green tips, flare over the deep coral corolla of Fuchsia ‘Fred Swales’. The gray-green, veined foliage offers handsome contrast.
(Galadriel Fuchsia) One of the mysteries of Fuchsia 'Galadriel' is why some clones have creamy white sepals with red striped tips whereas others, such as the one we sell, have creamy red sepals. It's a puzzle, not a difference in soil or photographic light.
(Galfrey Lye Fuchsia) Smoky pink-red petals peek out from behind white sepals with a pale pink blush in mite-resistant Fuchsia ‘Galfrey Lye’. It’s a mid-sized, upright shrub with long, floriferous, trailing stems and mid-green foliage. Hummingbirds love it.
(Genii Fuchsia) Chartreuse foliage so bright that it almost appears golden surrounds the dramatic flowers of Fuchsia ‘Genii’, a mid-sized shrub. The flower's skirt-like sepals, which are often described as “cerise” — sort of a cherry red — flip up over dark violet petals from which long, graceful, cerise anther and stigma filaments dangle.
(Giant Voodoo Fuchsia) Long, rosy anther and stigma filaments sway beneath the dark red sepals and deep purple petals of giant Fuchsia ‘Giant Voodoo’ flowers nestled amid glossy mid-green foliage. It’s a hummingbird magnet that is dramatic spilling over a hanging basket.
(Old Berkeley Fuchsia) White sepals mottled with rosy pink and tipped in green seem to float over the deep rose petals of Fuchsia ‘Old Berkeley’. They hang from mid-green, veined foliage with toothed edges. Hummingbirds love this mid-height shrub.
(Phyllis Fuchsia) Creamy rose-red sepals flare over deep lavender-red corollas in Fuchsia ‘Phyllis’. It’s an upright shrub ideal as a short deciduous hedge where winter temperatures are moderate. Phyllis also grows well in containers and as a summer annual.
(Prince of Orange Fuchsia) A pale salmon-pink tube and sepals top the deep salmon-orange corollas of Fuchsia ‘Prince of Orange’. Although an upright variety, this deciduous shrub has lax foliage ideal for container plantings. A deciduous perennial in warm winter regions, it’s a fine summer annual where winters are cold.
(Queen Elizabeth Fuchsia) Long and slender, the upward curling red sepals of Fuchsia ‘Queen Elizabeth’ rise above a corolla of cerise petals. This bountiful bloomer is a trailing Fuchsia with mid-green foliage. It’s ideal for hanging baskets.
(Remembrance Fuchsia) Flowers comprised of red sepals turned upward above pale rose pink corollas with red veins in Fuchsia 'Remembrance' giving it the look of a delicious confection.
(Santa Cruz Fuchsia) Candy red is a good description for the tubes and recurved sepals of Fuchsia ‘Santa Cruz’ flowers, which have deep violet corollas. This tall, upright shrub is a hummingbird favorite.
(Welsh Dragon Fuchsia) Pinkish-red sepals arch over the purple-red petals of Fuchsia ‘Welsh Dragon’. The dangling blossoms are surrounded by toothed, dark green foliage.
(Willie Tamerus Fuchsia) Pale salmon sepals flare out like elegant tutus over the rosy red-orange corollas of long-tubed Fuchsia ‘Willie Tamerus’. The blossoms drip so gracefully from the lax foliage that this petite hybrid is an ideal hanging basket plant.