Plant Library

Group/Class:  Bella Fuchsia Series

Brand:  Monrovia

Description:

An innovative fuchsia series bred for containers and hanging baskets, featuring outward facing flowers of dark violet, with deep scarlet sepals and anthers; very attractive to hummingbirds; perfect for patio pots in sun or shade

Ornamental Features

Bella Fuchsia® Vera Fuchsia features dainty nodding violet bell-shaped flowers with scarlet overtones and red anthers along the branches from late spring to mid fall, which emerge from distinctive cherry red flower buds. It has green evergreen foliage. The pointy leaves remain green throughout the winter. The brick red stems can be quite attractive.

Landscape Attributes

Bella Fuchsia® Vera Fuchsia is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

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

• Insects

Bella Fuchsia® Vera Fuchsia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Bella Fuchsia® Vera Fuchsia will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. It has a low canopy. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This shrub does best in a location that gets morning sunlight but is shaded from the hot afternoon sun, although it will also grow in partial shade. 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 may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Bella Fuchsia® Vera Fuchsia makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. 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 grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.