Plant name: ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ fuchsia
Botanical name:Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’
Virtues: Produces its flowers all summer long, in great numbers. The flowers attract hummingbirds.
Flowers: Salmon- to brick-red down-hanging tubular flowers appear in clusters. They are small in size but with very long tubes.
Foliage: Velvety bronze-tinted leaves with purple undersides.
Habit: Upright and bushy, reaching 2 to 3 feet tall and 1.5 to 2 feet wide.
Origin: Cultivar of Fuchsia triphylla, a native of Hispaniola that was discovered by Father Charles Plumier between 1689 and 1697. ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ was created by Carl Bonstedt of Germany between 1904 and 1906, along with several other triphylla hybrids.
Cultivation: Prefers well-drained soil in dappled shade or morning sun. Water when the soil begins to dry out. Fertilize with a water-soluble liquid feed every 2 to 4 weeks. Remove seedpods to encourage continued flowering. Prune back wayward shoots and pinch back growing tips to keep the plant dense and bushy. Hardy in Zones 9–10. Elsewhere it can be wintered indoors as a houseplant; give it a rest period in a cool room (45 to 50 degrees) and water sparingly.