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California Fuchsia

Epilobium canum

Blazes with scarlet-orange tubular flowers in late summer and fall, just when hummingbirds need fuel most. Spreads by rhizome to cover hot, dry banks; cut it hard in late winter to keep it dense. Long grown under the name Zauschneria, it is a willowherb — an evening-primrose relative rather than the fuchsia its common name suggests.

Family

Onagraceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

1–3 ft

Spacing

2–4 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

neutral, alkaline

Bloom

August, September, October

Bloom colors

red

Wildlife value

pollinators, hummingbirds

Landscape uses

foundation, erosion control

Native states

AZ, CA, ID, NM, NV, OR, UT, WY