Hardy fuchsia is a shade loving, easy to grow, perennial, deciduous shrub in the Onagraceae family. With showy red flowers from summer until the first frost, this perennial has a beautiful fountain-like form. The plant is very resistant of salt exposure and tolerates trimming, which makes it a good hedge, especially in maritime areas. This is the hardiest of the fuchsias (of which there are many), but generally the tops die back at the first frost. The roots are hardy with mulching; and in cold areas it is treated as a perennial. The genus name honors Leonhart Fuchs (1501-1566), a German physician and herbalist who published a book on herbs with unusually beautiful woodcuts of plants. The species name refers to the fact that the plant comes from the region of the Magellan Straits in Chile. Hardy fuchsia does well in fertile, well-drained soil and prefers soil rich in humus, although it does tolerate heavy clay soils. It does best in cool moist conditions with some shade. You can also plant Hardy fuchsia in hanging baskets, containers, or window boxes. It will die back to the ground during a hard freeze. If it doesn't die back, you may wish to prune the stems to the ground to rejuvenate growth in the spring. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Aphids, spider mites and whiteflies can be problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
3 feet-6 feet; 6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Irregular; Rounded; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Oval, dentate, medium green leaves 2 to 5 inches long. Whorls of 3 or 4 per node, sometimes opposite. Leaf blade elliptic-ovate or ovate to lanceolate.
Flower color
Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower detail
Bloom in summer until frost with small magenta to red flowers. Drooping, tubular flowers with prominent stamens. Flowering may decline and foliage may wilt in the heat of the summer. One or two flowers per node of distal leaves.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit detail
Juicy oblong berries that are not edible by humans.
Stem color
Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Red stems: thin, red-brown, glabrous.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
South America: Peru, Chile, Argentina, south to Tierra del Fuego
Distribution
Introduced to United States Pacific coast, Mexico, Britain.
Wildlife value
Hummingbirds and bees are attracted to the flowers.
Play value
Attractive Flowers
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Berry
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Hanging Baskets; Rock Wall
Landscape theme
Children's Garden; Water Garden
Design feature
Border; Hedge
Garden tags
#red flowers #nectar plant mid-summer #nectar plant late summer #window boxes #hummingbird friendly #nectar plant early fall #hanging baskets #easy to grow #fountain form #non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #bee friendly #container plant #garden walls
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Aphids on Ornamental Landscape Plants; Twospotted Spider Mites on Landscape Plants; Whiteflies Found on Flowers and Foliage