Fuchsias In Inland Southern California

Fuchsia

We're not that far inland, just inland enough to be out of Sunset Zone 24.  Sunset Zone 24 is the perfect climate for Fuchsias.  The summers are cooler in 24, where May-Grey/June-Gloom lingers until early September, making Fuchsias easy to grow.  As soon as you head inland, the trouble starts. 

Fuchsia

Given much sun, they wilt in the heat.  Its not so much soil moisture they need as cool humidity.  If you plant them in full shade, they're unhappy, lanky, and don't bloom much.  Getting a Fuchsia to grow to any size inland is a matter of the exact right spot, and some luck.  I have a few that do well.  One is a tough, common cultivar directly adjacent to the north side of a 6' fence. 

Fuchsia

One I bought for a dollar from the Lowe's Bargain Rack Of Plants Near Death, is under the canopy of a large climbing rose, next to a small patch of lawn.  I think both the canopy and the lawn contribute to a slightly higher level of humidity and moisture that enables the Fuchsia to survive.  Another is on the east side of the house,  it's a particularly sturdy, rather plain cultivar.  All the fancy, elegant, full flowered ones, the ones that thrive in 24, died out. 

There's a particularly nasty pest, called the Fuchsia Gall Mite, which chew their way into Fuchsias, creating grotesquely misshapen growth.  When this happens, all you can do is bag up the entire plant and throw it out.  So far my common cultivars have avoided this.  Until they succumb, I'll love them. 

Fuchsia

Fuchsia

Comments

  1. Your fuchsia is lovely! I used to grow them until they became too difficult to protect against the gall mite and demanded too much attention. The one that still remains and hangs in there looks a lot like yours!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Always interested in your thoughts.

Any comments containing a link to a commercial site with the intent to promote that site will be deleted. Thank you for your understanding on this matter.