Life After Lawn: Fuchsia on the dry side

This is one part in a weekly series featuring the UC Davis Arboretum’s “Life After Lawn” series – 45 can’t-fail, easy-care, low-water plants well adapted to our region and ideal for drought-tolerant landscapes.

Everett Butts California fuchsia

Epilobium canum “Everett’s Choice”

Size: 6 inches tall, spreading over time to 3 to 4 feet wide.

Bloom season: Large, tubular red-orange flowers brighten up the summer and fall garden.

Exposure: Full sun preferred.

Pruning needs: None; shear in winter to neaten its appearance if desired.

Water needs: Low water; once established, irrigate once or twice a month to keep plant vigorous.

Snapshot: Want more hummingbirds in your garden? Try a California fuchsia. It’s a compact, herbaceous (non-woody) California native perennial, perfect for edges along paths and the front of any low-water garden bed. This variety stays low to the ground with wide green leaves. It produces waves of large, showy red-orange flowers, starting in early summer and continuing through fall. Another bonus: It’s a guaranteed magnet for hummingbirds.

For more on “Life After Lawn,” click on arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Life After Lawn: Fuchsia on the dry side."