California fuchsia
Epilobium canum · Onagraceae
Scarlet-orange trumpets cover a low, spreading mound of narrow, grey leaves from late summer to autumn, when little else flowers in a dry garden.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Early August to mid October
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around california fuchsia
The planner designed this bed around california fuchsia when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 7, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 721 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why california fuchsia stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 California fuchsia × 3, red
- 2 Sea thrift × 8, pink
- 3 Creeping thyme × 11, purple
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 6 Eastern prickly pear × 1, yellow
- 7 Star of Persia × 3, purple
- 8 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
Why this plant
- The only trumpets. The others are globes, dense clusters, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only red.
Why here
- At the back. At 18 in it is seen over eastern prickly pear (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' (2½ ft) and false sunflower 'Summer Nights' (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for 11 weeks. From early August to mid October.
- Closes the season. For its last six weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Purple runs through the planting: 3 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it. Little bluestem and false sunflower 'Summer Nights' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where california fuchsia goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The hummingbird plant of the West: it flowers just as the birds migrate south. It needs no summer water. Cut it to the ground in winter.
- Hummingbirds in autumn
- Dry western gardens with no summer water
- Banks and wall tops
What to plant with california fuchsia
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- English lavender 'Hidcote': flowers first, late June to late July, so the spot is never empty; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same dry soil.
- Rosemary: flowers first, early March to early May, so the spot is never empty; spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
Questions about california fuchsia
Does california fuchsia need sun or shade?
California fuchsia grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled.
What zones does california fuchsia grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does california fuchsia flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early August to mid October. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 7 | Early August to mid October |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Early August to mid October |
| Zone 9 | Late July to mid October |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should california fuchsia be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many california fuchsia plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Will california fuchsia spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by underground stems in loose soil. Easy to pull back.
What flowers after california fuchsia?
California fuchsia is over by mid October. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bodnant viburnum 'Dawn': from early November to late December, 10 ft tall.
- Common witch hazel: from mid October to late November, 15 ft tall.
What does california fuchsia look like in winter?
California fuchsia holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early August to mid October; trumpets; red, orange
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; grey-green, silver
- Shape
- Mounding, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Onagraceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.