A Second Look at Magellanica

I also wanted to mention that this same form comes in other colors. Fuchsia magellanica is a standard red and purple. I will have that one soon. Right now they are just tiny little starts.

Here is a second view of the bush F. magellanica molinae.

Magellanica molinae - Bush

'Magellanica molinae,' like 'F. lycioides', is a fuchsia species not a hybrid. And like 'Lycioides', it can get really big. The first time I saw it, was as a bush that went up to the second story of a house in Capitola, California. The one I have in my collection is over 12 years old and would be much bigger right now if it hadn't been used as a jungle gym for my teenage cats when they were learning to climb. I had to severely prune it back afterwards to reform it. They broke branches that were two inches across!! Besides it being the main hang out of resting hummingbirds, I love the huge numbers of cascading little flowers with just a hint of blue in their corolla. The bark has interest as well. It has an outer layer which is flaky and very different from other barks. At least I know that no matter how much damage the kittens did, I could count on this one to produce new shoots at least six feet tall in the spring. Rivaling any new cane a rose could put out. They also make great additions to floral arrangements. That is a vase of cut 'Magellanica molinae' I use as my photo id for this blog! I am also using a row of them as a future hedge to provide shade for new fuchsia starts. I had heard about fuchsias being used as hedges and it is going very well so far. I'll post photos of it when it has gotten a bit taller and filled in more.

Lycioides - Bush

'Lycioides' is a species with it's own Section in the categories fuchsia species are seperated into. And it is the only variety in Section Kierschlegeria! It can get very big if allowed to and produces thousands of these little red flowers in bunches all along it's branches. Especially if grown in good soil and in an area where the roots will be cool but the foliage gets plenty of full sun. The flowers are followed by little black currant sized berries which taste a bit like a cross between raisins and figs when they are ripe. But this doesn't mean it isn't still blooming, because in some areas, like zone 9, it is always in bloom. This is the one the hummingbirds visit the most, especially just before it gets dark. Like a good snack before bed time. I plan on planting a hedge of these, just as I have down with F. magellanica. Because of three qualities. Their ability to grow tall, the small leaves which will lend themselves well to creating a dense wall, and the small flowers which will fill in that dense wall. I'll be certain to post photos of the results both here and at DavesGarden. And my website of course ;-)

Iced Champagne - Bush

'Iced Champagne' is one of the medium sized bushes. Not one the rapid ones needing allot of room right away, nor one of the much slower ones which may take a couple of years to fill in a space. Normally, I don't go for white flowers, as any form of damage seems to jump out at you. But this one has taken me by surprise. It is hard to tell in my photograph, but this white has a slightly creamy pink tone to it. I'll try to produce a better photo by this summer. This bush was among those which sustained some damage due to freezing this winter. It is growing out of it very well, but won't be ready for a photo shoot for a bit longer. One big project this coming fall, will be to re-arrange the collection so that varieties which are more sensitive to freezing temperatures will all be together and can receive a higher level of protection than their sturdier relatives. Many in my collection received no protection at all and are currently covered with flowers! 'Iced Champagne' is definately worth the effort!

Gypsy Prince - Bush

'Gypsy Prince' is another one of the few which grace my small front yard. Right beside the walkway that leads to the house. It blooms year round here on the central coast of California. Even during freezes that damaged others nearby. I even took some Christmas photos of big round red blossoms because they reminded me of ornaments! It is not one of the faster growing upright bushes. But it has attained a nice height and I don't have to prune it, so this is a good thing. It also has thick and sturdy branches to hold up the big blossoms it produces. Only one wayward branch is currently being tied to a temporary post until it redirects itself.

Wow, I haven't posted since last Wednesday! Pedricks Corner just received it's 40th positive review in the Garden Watchdog at DavesGarden.com! I am very hopeful for this year!

Gordon's China Rose - Bush

'Gordon's China Rose' is a small leaved compact bush which will probably attain some height over the years with pruning. And this will be my goal. Meanwhile, it has a wonderful little double blossom on it and fits nicely in between another bush much like it 'Dollar Princess' and the much larger 'Mood Indigo.'

This time of year, the garden is gearing up to go full throttle and I am also hunting down new varieties to add to the collection. Which is currently at 148 varieties! I am specifically looking for the older cultivars which were hybridized here in the states prior to the 1950's. It seems like many of those are going to be hard to find.

To facilitate this search, I have created a searchable database with over 1500 upright varieties in it and as much information on each one as I could find. You will be able to search by sepal or corolla or height or year of introduction, etc! The new website to access this database is named "AListOfFuchsias.info." As that is all it will be, information for us fuchsia fanatics!

In other words, more often than not, for the time being, I may not be able to post here everyday. When the new website it up and running, I'll post a link to it here.

Garden News - Bush

'Garden News' is still a small bush in this photo, but I have several and one is four times this size now. As soon as it begins to bloom again after being trimmed this winter, I will post a new photo. I am not really into pink. But this one has peachy tones that I like. And who can resist a whole bush covered with these? None of them sustained any damage this winter or last summer. I trimmed the largest one so I could root some new cuttings of it. The others are all in bloom right now. The flowers tend to become a bit smaller when grown out in the full sun. I don't mind this, as I prefer smaller flowers anyway. And although the flowers are smaller out in the full sun, you get more of them!!