PERENNIALS & GROUND COVERS
The Northwest is a great climate for growing hardy fuchsias. They like our (usually) cool-ish summers and moist conditions. In our climate, most will prefer full to part sun — which might seem counterintuitive if compared to the annual fuchsia varieties. However, they should be protected from reflected heat and wind.
Hardy fuchsias typically begin to bloom in late spring and will continue until first frost — sometimes even longer! So you really get a lot of “bang for your buck” with these perennials. And you can expect to see lots of hummingbird traffic in your yard while they’re in flower. (Deadheading will encourage more blooms.) Fuchsias have hundreds of varietal names, most coming from a few species. (Most hardy species can be traced back to Fuchsia magellanica). Fuchsias can be upright (up to 6’ tall!), semi-upright and trailing. The flowers can be single, semi-double or double, in shades of pink, purple, near-red, and even orange.
We currently have a great selection of hardy fuchsias available. ‘Riccartonii’ is a super-popular variety with purple and red blooms. We even have a few varieties on hand which have the unique orange- or salmon-colored flowers: ‘California’ and ‘Prince of Orange’. Some varieties have extremely small blossoms and foliage. Check out ‘Isis’, which has itty-bitty pink flowers, and ‘Lottie Hobby’, which has teeny-tiny scarlet flowers and gray-green variegated foliage. ‘Aurea’ is a variety with unusual sunny yellow foliage and red and purple flowers. And the list goes on…
For a complete list of hardy-in-the-Northwest fuchsias, the Northwest Fuchsia Society has an excellent website: www.nwfuchsiasociety.com. Also, be sure to pick up our free handout on hardy fuchsias which includes very detailed information on the ultimate way to plant your fuchsias as well as when and how to fertilize and prune them. |
