California Fuchsia (Zauschneria x cana ‘Calistoga Hybrids’) is a ground covering California native with large number of flowers that smother showy grey-green leaves on this low-water, low-maintenance, deer resistant, drought tolerant plant. Grown for its broad, grey leaves, low form and boldly colored carmine flowers, California Fuchsia prefer loose drainage, but adapt easily to clay soil. Plants do tend to flower and perform better if provided with some Summer water. An occasional, but light shearing, or hard pruning in late Fall, will rejuvenate growth and keep it looking its best. Rich or poor soil works fine. To 1-2’ high and 2-4’ wide.
We got our California Fuchsia from Annie’s Annuals as a 4-inch pot.
This California fuchsia is a low growing perennial that is useful if you need a ground cover in an area that gets 10-40″ rainfall. After the first summer this fuchsia flowering plant can make it on its own. Prune in the wintertime to a few inches tall. If you do not prune it, it can look bad after a few of years. If you mow it, it will stay 3-6″ high spread to 3-6′ across and have hundreds of hot red flowers on it in late summer.
If you are into hummingbird gardening and you have a large garden this fuchsia is almost a one to one with hummingbirds. One nursery reported that the hummingbirds only nectar sip the flowers of this California fuchsia about once every 15 minutes for about 1-2 minutes.
If you order it in late fall or winter it may be deciduous, or even look dead, it’s fine. AKA Epilobium canum mexicanum
- Zauschneria tolerates sand, clay, serpentine, seasonal flooding, high traffic(people walking on it) and deer.
- Zauschneria is great for a bird garden.
- Zauschneria foliage color is green and type is deciduous.
- Zauschneria flower color is red.
Communities for Zauschneria californica mexicana:Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland and Central Oak Woodland.
| ph: | 6.00 to 8.00 |
| usda: | 7 to 10 |
| height[m]: | 0.10 to 1.00 |
| width[m]: | 1.00 to 2.00 |
| rainfall[cm]: | 60.00 to 200.00 |
