Plant of the Week
Fuchsia
Latin: Fuchsia coccinea
The garden fuchsia was an instant hit when it was introduced
into European gardens, but it was slow to arrive because of the political
intrigues of a bygone era.
Today we see this plant with beautiful drooping flowers, usually in vividly
contrasting colors, as a hanging basket plant but it can also be used in the
flower garden. When it was finally introduced into cultivation during the late
1700's it quickly rose to superstar status and became the most popular flower of
the Victorian era - the high water mark of gardening.
Fuchsia naturally occurs in territory that Spain claimed as its own. That
nation was trying to hold on to vast stretches of the New World with only
limited resources. France had been shut out of the Caribbean, but in the late 17th
Century, Louis XIV hit upon a scheme to establish a beachhead by coming to the
aid of Spain against England in exchange for a piece of the island of
Hispaniola. Today, that territory is Haiti.
Michel Begon, after whom the begonia is named, was sent as governor along
with Father Charles Plumier, to minister to the religious needs of the
inhabitants. Both were interested in natural history and described the new
plants of the island, including the bush with pendant flowers that had red
sepals and blue petals. Plumier published a description of the plants in 1703
and named the new plant after Leonhard Fuchs, a German botanist.
The first plant to reach Europe alive did so of the breakdown of an English
sailing ship returning from China. The ship, under the command of a Captain
Firth, had to pull into Chile for repairs before attempting the stormy Strait of
Magellan passage. While making the repairs, Firth walked the shore and happened
upon a beautiful exotic he thought his mother might like, so he dug it up and
took it home to her perched on the window of his cabin. It flourished and a
nurseryman soon saw its potential and quickly introduced it to the trade of the
plant-hungry European market. This led to a stampede to find new kinds of
fuchsias and over the next century almost 100 species were found, mostly in the
territory that Spain was trying to keep closed.
Fuchsias are beautiful garden plants that require bright light to bloom, but
resent our high humidity and summer temperatures. An area that gets good light,
but not the hot afternoon sun, is best. They should never be allowed to wilt but
should not stand in water either.
To see them in their perfection one must travel in the vicinity of the
Canadian border, but they are so beautiful and there are so many kinds, most
garden centers carry a wide array in the spring.
They do their best from April through June, with fewer flowers in July and
August. More blooms can be had in the fall if plants receive a fertilization
during the summer with a complete garden fertilizer.
By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist
- Ornamentals
Extension News -
January 29, 1999
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