Plant Encyclopedia

Brand:  Proven Winners

Description:

A beautiful trailing container selection, ideal for hanging baskets and window boxes; red and deep purple-blue nodding flowers dangle from bushy green foliage; blooms from spring to fall; adaptable as a houseplant; low maintenance-no deadheading required

Ornamental Features

Dark Eyes Fuchsia features dainty nodding purple frilly flowers with red bracts at the ends of the branches from mid summer to early fall, which emerge from distinctive red flower buds. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Dark Eyes Fuchsia is a multi-stemmed annual with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Dark Eyes Fuchsia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Dark Eyes Fuchsia will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Dark Eyes Fuchsia is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.