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California Fuchsia
Epilobium canum/Zauschneria californica- Plant Form: Semi-evergreen perennial
- Water Use: Low
- Mature Size: 2 ft. tall & wide
- Exposure: Full sun, part shade
- Bloom Time: Summer, Fall (June – Oct)
- Native to: California, Arizona, and Baja California (below 10,000 feet)
- Hardiness: Cold Hardy to 10°F
Looking for an easy-care pollinator plant that feeds hummingbirds while looking stunning in your garden from summer through fall? California Fuchsia meets both goals, while also being tolerant of drought, heat, and frost.
California Fuchsia is an easy-to-grow, herbaceous, perennial subshrub with tubular orange-red flowers that are an important nectar source for hummingbirds during migration (the plant is dependent on hummingbirds for pollination). Also known as Hummingbird Trumpet, this is not a true fuchsia, despite its common name. This late-season bloomer tolerates drought, heat, and wind once established, and has abundant blooms when many natives are dormant. Don’t prune during its first year or two. After that, pinch back young stems to produce a compact, well-branched plant, and cut back hard every winter after blooming is finished and before new growth appears to keep tidy, lush growth. Plant away from high traffic, as stems are brittle. Stunning when planted in masses among rocks or on slopes, in dry streambeds, or against rock walls, but equally beautiful in pots and baskets.
Check out our “Garden Tasks” for October
October Garden Tasks
Fall is the perfect time to plant new native and drought-tolerant plants, when soils are still warm but air temperatures have cooled down. Your established plants will need less water as nights get cooler and longer, so remember to adjust your irrigation timers to water less often.
Take advantage of fall planting season to develop strong, summer-ready plants
~ Continue to plant native and drought-tolerant perennial plants and trees. Fall plantings develop deep roots while soils are still warm but the air is cool, which stimulates root growth. This early root establishment reduces water needs during your new plant’s two- to three-year establishment.
~ Adjust irrigation timers as nights get longer and cooler. Simply making monthly changes to your irrigation schedule can save more water and money than any other thing you can do
~ Fall opportunity to transplant Joshua trees and yuccas from late September to October.
~ Reduce water to cactus and succulents to prepare them for winter rest and protect against frost damage.
~ Fall annuals abound in nurseries, but are mostly high water-use; consider using them only near entries, on patios, and in containers. Plant perennials and bulbs for less maintenance and lower water use.
Check out our featured “Plant of The Month” for October
Who would guess that anyone could say, with any credible authority, “Mushrooms can help save the world?” And even more preposterous, that in the desert, fungal threads that connect to plant roots combat global warming? Even though these statements sound like science fiction, we are finding that both are proving to be absolutely true.
These concepts were at the forefront of the vision to create an artistic, visually compelling book that would transport readers along a graphic “tour” of the unseen desert beneath the soil surface. Robin’s new book, “The Desert Underground,” will lead you on a virtual tour of the hidden but magnificent world of microorganisms intertwined with roots that silently works under our feet every day.
“The Desert Underground” book reveals the amazing partnerships that connect every native plant underground across the landscape. Journey through the interlocking biological and geological systems that work together to create a surprising carbon sponge, helping to combat climate change wherever desert soils remain intact.
Robin’s newest book was released at a special exhibit featuring “The Desert Underground” at the Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo at the 29 Palms Inn in September 2019. A series of large graphic displays, created with the original artwork presented in Robin’s book, led viewers along an illustrated tour through our desert soils, delving deeper and deeper into the underground. The exhibit was created by Robin Kobaly and was presented by The SummerTree Institute, an environmental education nonprofit, of which Robin is Executive Director.
Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo in fall 2019.
For more information about
“The Desert Underground” book,
or to order your own copy,
visit www.summertree.org/the-desert-underground/.
For an overview of the hidden but magnificent realm that works silently underground every day, read the feature article, “The Desert Under Our Feet” written by Robin Kobaly in the March 2019 issue of The Desert Report.
Check out our other events and workshops!
California Native Landscaping
Enter the fascinating world of southwest desert plants
Through our series of workshops and classes, we invite you to enter into the captivating world of plants and their impressive uses. Experience the plants growing in your area’s natural community as you never have before…through taste, smell, touch, and stories.
Let us lead you through native gardens to witness the variety and beauty of native plants available to gardeners throughout the southwestern United States. Join us in exploring the ancient and modern uses of our native plants for medicine, tools, shelter, clothing, and food. Enjoy learning how to incorporate drought-tolerant native plants into your garden design for benefits you might not have imagined. Discover the fun of using native southwest desert plants for food, herbal remedies, landscape, and even art.
In our workshops and classes, you will learn which of California’s 4,800 native plants are perfectly suited for your particular yard, and which ones best serve as evergreen hedges, privacy screens, shade-giving trees, long-lived ground covers, erosion control, seasonal color, interesting vines, and striking specimen plants. Find out how to select, plant, irrigate, and care for a remarkable variety of attractive, drought-tolerant native plants. Read More
Water-Wise Landscaping DVD
Available Now!
This engaging DVD, produced by The SummerTree Institute and featuring professional botanist Robin Kobaly, contains all the essential information you need to transform your High-Desert property into an enchanting, Water-Wise Landscape. You choose your path of discovery by selecting the topics within yard themes. This comprehensive DVD, with nearly four hours of hard-to-find expert information, covers the resources you will need to plan, design, plant, irrigate and maintain an attractive, drought-tolerant landscape.
To help you choose the right plants, you will find descriptions and growing tips for over 80 plants suited to high-desert gardens, all grouped by water-use themes.
Discover how you can create beautiful drought-tolerant landscaping in the high deserts of the Southwest with valuable tips and insider’s information. Robin leads you on this journey with fun demonstrations and real-life examples of yard solutions.
Here’s a sample:
Water-Wise Landscaping DVD
Special Features:
- Yard Design
- Understanding Soil and Mulch
- Planting Tips
- Irrigation
- Maintaining a Healthy Landscape
- Profiles of 84 Star-Performing Plants
- Price: $20.00, plus $2.50 shipping – All proceeds go to The SummerTree Institute to help support outreach efforts and educational materials for the non-profit’s “Water-Wise Landscaping” programs. Visit www.summertree.org for more program details.
Other Ways To Order:
To place an order with your credit card by phone, please call 760-363-1166.
Download the Water-Wise Landscaping DVD order form to mail a check or credit card information.
“All I can say is Wow! The presentation – Robin, the DVD –was simply superb…”
—Michael Stevens, Community Liaison Officer, Mojave Water Agency
“This DVD is absolutely a phenomenally crucial tool in educating the public…I’m so excited about this wonderful educational tool!”
—Marie Sovitsky, Publications Coordinator, Mojave Desert Resource Conservation District
