Learning Fuchsia Culture
With Rodney
Enjoy Fuchsia Blooms in a HOT CLIMATE?

Keep in mind that most fuchsias prefer a temperature range around 50 to 80 degrees. If you live in a climate like Vallejo, CA that exceeds 90-degree temperatures several times during the summer months, then you may find some of the following information interesting and hopefully helpful.

My Fuchsia Learning Experience

My fuchsia friend, fuchsia grower extraordinaire, Barney Gonsalves, always told me I could grow beautiful fuchsias in Vallejo’s HOT climate. Barney had for years grown over 1200 different fuchsia varieties at the Wild Animal Park in Escondido, California where summer temperatures would consistently be in the 90°+ range. I often wondered where he found 1200 heat tolerant plants.
It wasn’t until I made a trip to see Barney’s Fuchsia Garden at the Wild Animal Park that I understood what he was telling me. The particular fuchsia that helped me understand his point was the fuchsia ‘Schneckeral’. The flowers on my ‘Schneckeral’ and many other fuchsias in Vallejo, always seemed to wilt during the summer months and I would become discourages as a fuchsia grower. Much to my surprise Barney’s ‘Schneckeral’ at the Wild Animal Park looked great at 9 a.m. when we arrived at the park. However, about 12:30 p.m., when the temperature started to heat up, his ‘Schneckeral’ started to wilt just like mine did in Vallejo. Yet when we returned to the park for a second day, again in the early morning, ‘Schneckeral’ looked vibrant and happy again until early afternoon. Most of us have learned that fuchsias shut down when temperatures exceed their preferred operating range to preserve water loss through transpiration. Now that I think about it, it only makes sense that when a plant shuts down to survive in the heat it would no longer be supporting the flowers, which could cause them to wilt. Once the temperature cools down during the evening and early morning hours the plant can re-establish support to the leaves and flowers.
This experience taught me two things. When Barney told me that I could grow fuchsias in a hot climate, he meant that I could keep them alive. If I want to enjoy the fuchsia flowers during the hot summer months, I will have to admire them in the early morning hours when it is still cool.
Many fuchsias can do fairly well in very worm climates if they are planted in the ground or provided a cool shaded location, with filtered sun. Fuchsias labeled as heat tolerant plants mean they are able to maintain their flowers fairly well during the warm summer months. Single fuchsias do better than the big doubles. Generally the big doubles are what we buy, but they will be the first to wilt in the heat. When it is hot, I have adjusted my expectations to something more realistic. I know my fuchsias are struggling in the heat to provide me with beautiful flowers in the cool morning hours.

Low HUMIDITY on a HOT DAY

After sharing with you Barney Gonsalves’ experience, I now believe that most fuchsias can survive warm climates. However, I do want to share one additional thing I have learned. Low humidity on a hot day is a dangerous combination for fuchsias.
Last year I thought my fuchsias were doing rather well during an extended heat wave until one day several just up and died! I noticed the leaves were brittle and dried out. That night the weather report included the humidity reading of 12%. When the humidity drops below 20% the air is very dry and it pulls moisture from anything, including fuchsia leaves. I now have a humidity gauge in the back yard. When the humidity drops below 20% I lower my hanging baskets close to the ground, dampen the ground with a hose and activate my misting system to replace moisture in the atmosphere where my fuchsias live
Rodney Bergquist <RBERGQ@pacbell.net>