Autumn is planting time in the West, particularly when it comes to native perennials. Among the many species that make perfect candidates for droughty gardens, there is one that is not given the attention it deserves. California fuchsia, formerly known as Zauschneria californica, is now classified in a new genus as Epilobium canum, but you may find them listed both ways.
This perennial taught me much about growing natives in unsuitable soils and how to get around the problem for a beautiful dry color garden. I tested its resilience in my Sierra Nevada garden with about 2,000 feet elevation on the hot west-facing slope. This site was not conducive to native perennials that share a preference for well-drained soils. The ridge was dense clay subsoil over bedrock where water would stand long after rainfall ceased. To create a native perennial planting zone, I had to solve the problem by thinking outside the box.
The goal was to elevate the roots of the perennials just enough to keep them above the dense ground, a technique suited to virtually any garden. Irregular curbs of field stone I gathered off the property were created to hold no more than a foot of soil. I collected sandy-gravelly “road base” from a drainage ditch and mixed it with equal parts local topsoil so that water applied moved through too fast to pool. California fuchsia proved quite well adapted to such lean ground with porosity preferred over fertility. Virtually every native I added to that soil mix thrived.
The fuchsias literally took off. Their small grayish fuzzy leaves on brittle stems rose to about 18 inches, proving quite capable of withstanding the hot afternoons in that west facing ridge. Here they bloomed heavily at first, then spotty flowers appeared throughout the warm months. A big male rufous hummingbird discovered them and drove off all other competitors.
Then a gopher dug a mound of fresh soil that literally buried the whole plant except for the tips of growing stems sticking out the top. Such plants always die because the rodent typically eats the roots.
I left it all winter only to discover by spring that the fuchsia hadn’t died at all. Rains stimulated its growth, spreading over a much larger area than the original plant because all the buried parts of the stems had rooted! What made this happen was the road base. If it had been clay soil mounded up, it would have quickly rotted. This easy rooting demonstrates why fuchsia can become invasive where soils are right for rooting and seed germination.
Breeders have gathered new forms of Zauschneria californica from wildlands of California and chance nursery seedlings that offer unique differences. Most fuchsias average 1 to 2 feet tall, spreading to about 3 feet wide. An exception is Catalina, discovered on the island, which is a very large upright plant ideal for expansive gardens where it can reach 3 feet tall, spreading to 5 feet. Splendens proves to be the densest and tidiest for small space dry gardens. Route 66 is considered the most prolific bloomer. And there are many more to choose from with some hybrids better suited to the coast as they will not take hot afternoon sun inland.
California fuchsia is hardy to 10 degrees or Zone 7. They will become naturalized by the second summer, requiring very little water. Once well established, plan to cut back plants to renew them from the root crown and stimulate vigorous new growth for much greater flower production. In areas where they are marginally hardy, preserve winter foliage from frost. Carefully cut out older stems after new growth appears in spring.
The vigor and beauty of this easy native perennial should be a part of everyone’s dry garden. Big, bold color over a very long season makes them a wildlife haven, particularly for hummingbirds. If your plants are happy and floriferous, they too will spread and naturalize throughout the garden, and with luck a hummingbird will find them and take up residence there, too.
Maureen Gilmer is an author, horticulturist and landscape designer. Learn more at MoPlants.com.
