Botanical name:

Fuchsia procumbens

Common name(s):

Creeping fuchsia, climbing fuchsia, trailing fuchsia

About:

An attractive fast-growing ground-cover with round, soft-green leaves and red/yellow flowers in summer, followed by large red berries which attract birds. Its creeping habit allows it to cover large areas. Prefers semi-shade under trees however can handle full sun & are an important food source for birds.

Natural habitat:

A strictly coastal species. F. procumbens has been collected from cobble/gravel beaches, coastal cliff faces, coastal scrub and grassland, dune slacks and swales, and from the margins of salt marshes (in places where it would be inundated during spring tides). It is also quite tolerant of naturalised grasses and may be found growing amongst dense swards of kikuyu grass.

Growing environment:

Sun, Shade, Salt, Wetland, Wind, Coastal, Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

North Island from the Ninety Mile Beach and Perpendicular Point south to Maunganui Bluff in the west and Kennedy Bay (Coromandel Peninsula) in the east. It is known as a naturalised plant on Kapiti Island.

Height: 20cm

Flowering:

September – May with a violet/purple or yellow coloured flower/s

Fruiting:

November - July

Uses:

Bird food / Attractant, Bee food, Forests, Flowers & Container friendly.

How to grow:

Easy from layered pieces, fresh seed and semi-hardwood cuttings. A remarkably adaptable plant that can be grown in most situations. It makes an excellent ground cover and is ideal for a hanging basket.

** Seed germinates without pre treatment. Sow seed direct & keep moist until germination is complete.