Bloom of the Month
Now for what you’ve all been waiting so patiently for… the bloom of the month. Not such an easy task in September when the local color palette ranges from tan to brown to rust. Hold on… what are those bright red things hugging the hill as you drive up 33 to Ojai? Ah of course, the last colorful refuge of the season, the delightful California fuchsia:
Epilobium canum, formerly genus Zauschneria (much catchier I think). Epilobium translates to “upon a capsule”, meaning the flower and seedpod appear at the same time, while Zauschner was an 18th century botanist. Fuchsia is a member of the Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) family. A distinguishing characteristic of the family is 4 petals and 4 sepals, in the case of Epilobium canum the sepals are the same color which gives the appearance of 8 petals.
The flowers are borne on woody, fragile 6-18 inch stems covered in hairy, gray-green bladelike leaves, either opposite or alternate arrangement. They form colonies via underground rhizomes, with new volunteers popping up often yards away from the mother. In Ojai they prefer some shade, though I’ve seen specimens in full sun. They look quite shabby in the winter but come back fresh in spring. The tube shaped flowers are an important source of nectar in months when hummingbirds have little else.
My favorite spots to see fuchsia are on the shady hillsides of Gridley as you approach the trough, the Pratt/Cozy Dell loop and coming down the Murietta fire road. They will be blooming for another month and then you get the fluffy seed pods. They don’t look like much but trust me they are in there, and they germinate like gangbusters.
Fuchsia Fluff Which Carries the Seeds
Also extremely easy to propagate from cuttings. If you don’t have a green thumb native plant nurseries will generally carry one of the many hybrids rather then the straight local species. These can range from crawly ground covers to glorious 4 foot high stalks, from almost white foliage to dark lush green and flowers which can be pink to red and everything in between. Fuchsia can get unruly in a garden, but they are easy enough to pluck out. Cut adults back to the ground each winter, I would give young plants a year to mature. Some of my favorites for the garden:
Narrowleaf fuchsia, Common in Malibu Area
Catalina Fuschia, up to 5 feet tall
Pink!
Enjoy the weekend everyone….
To read more posts from the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Nursery Manager Ron Singer, check out his Ojai Rambler blog »
