Family: Onagraceae
Common name: Hardy fuchsia, Hummingbird fuchsia, Chilco
Hardy fuchsia is an awesome flowering plant that can be the pride of your garden. Though they are native to South America, this resilient plant is now grown in temperate and sub-tropical climates all over the world because of their colorful blooms.
Plant characteristics
Fuchsia plants can grow to a height of 3 meters with an upright, bushy growth habit. Leaves are about 3-8 cms long, elliptic or lance-shaped, dark green, with slighty serrated edges.
Stem is well-branched, with the uppermost, tender ones having a pink to dark pink tinge providing a beautiful contrast to the bright green leaves.
Fuchsia has the most beautiful pendulous, tubular flowers, which cover the plant like beautiful decorations, from summer to fall. They hang in clusters and come in a variety of colors like red, pink, purple, and sometimes white.
Often times, a single flower will have different colors adding to the aesthetic appeal. These colorful flowers are highly attractive to insects, bees, and evenhummingbirds, giving the plant its name ‘hummingbird fuchsia.’
The flowers have small dark stamens and an extra-long style which look like the hanging lights of a chandelier because of the upturned hanging flowers.
After the flowers wither, the Fuchsia plant develops small, dark purple to black berries that are about 1.5 cm long, edible, and are loved by small birds.
Gardening tips
Fuchsia plants thrive in temperate climates and prefer partial shade, cool, and moist conditions. Planting it in well-draining soil and regular mulching around the base can help retain moisture. Avoid over-watering to prevent rotting of the roots and stem.
It is advisable to prune the plant in late winter or early spring to encourage rounded, bush-like growth and uniform flowering. Protect the plant in winter by covering it, or moving it indoors to prevent the plant from withering.
There are many variants of the Fuchsia in beautiful shades, some of them award-winning variants like Aurea, Gracilis aurea, Thompsonii, Molinae, and so on. They are mostly grown as ornamental garden plants, but these plants also have some medicinal uses in treating stomach ailments.
Fuchsia plants can be propagated easily through stem cuttings, root division, or through seeds.
Photographed at: Allan Garden Conservatory, Toronto and Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
