FUCHSIAS

 UP, UP, and AWAY!

 

 

Another one of our favorites that blooms almost all year round here in Southern California. The buds, look almost like mini hot-air balloons, are hollow with air inside and when you press them with your fingers, it gives a delightful popping sound!  This is an upright variety that can grow over 6 feet - but need to be tied to their stakes to prevent the branches from breakage during strong winds.  Loves morning sun with afternoon shade - and lot of watering during long hot summer. Also, needs frequent fertilizer to keep the blooms coming. Attract hummingbirds, and humans, too.



Plant them against one side of exterior wall of the garage (right, bottom) not only add colors but help hide the unsightly electric circuit/fuse box, cable box, and the gas meter on the side of the house.

These are from cuttings that we planted directly on the ground (no growth hormone needed) during the winter season.  Takes about 2 years for these cuttings to cover the wall. After 4-5 years, we replaced them again with new cuttings.

 

Fantastic FUCHSIA

These upright fuchsias have provided many years of non-stop colors to our garden.  Here in Southern California, these plants are evergreen and seems to bloom almost all year round, but they are more profilic during late spring and summer.  To encourage continuous blooming, we replace these fuchsia trees every 3 to 5 years by planting new cuttings around them.  Once the new cuttings are established (about a year old), we remove the old exhausted ones.  These upright fuchsias need some stakes to help them grow vertically and then horizontally.  Also, the stakes help prevent the new branches from breaking or snapping from its heavy blooms during strong winds. 

 

Fuchsias comes in many different colors except blue or yellow.  Usually the sepals and the corollas (or petals) have contrasting colors that make their teardrop flowers unique and colorful.     

 

 

Fuchsias attract hummingbirds.  Below, the birds have made a permanent home on one of my fuchsia tree by securing them between two branches.   I was able to take a picture of the nest while its parents were out somewhere. 

 

 

This fuchsia comes with white sepal and bi-color corollas (or petals) but as it begins to unfurl, the petals change color from a tint of deep purple on its edges to a single color of bright pink (see below).

Planting two different colors or varieties together create a very interesting combo.  Once the fuchsias started to branch out, we let them entwined on top of each other on the same horizontal bar and when they bloom, their contrasting colors stand out which make them a perfect couple.