The future’s bright!
Why not try something a little different and be dazzled by an orange fuchsia?
There have been many fuchsias with orange flowers introduced over the years. Many of the triphylla types have orange or orange-red flowers. The more normal varieties tend to have darker foliage, often with quite serrated edges to the leaves. The contrast between the flower colour and the leaf colour is one of the attractions of these varieties. Below is a list of some I like and think are worth growing. These are all still available either in the UK or Europe.
‘Hendrik Schwab’: This is an interspecific variety, which is a cross between F. magdalenae and F. denticulata. It has brilliant orange-red flowers.
‘Koralle’ (‘Coralle’): Strong-growing triphylla with velvety, sage-green leaves and clusters of bright orange flowers.
‘Mandi Oxtoby’: Sometimes also called ‘Mandi’, this triphylla has small, orange-red flowers that stand out against dark foliage.
‘Stella Ann’: A floriferous triphylla type with clusters of orange flowers held against
olive-green foliage with heavy veining.. ‘Herps Bangbang’: A Dutch introduction with a longish, fat orange tube, orange sepals and a reddish-orange corolla. ‘Patricia Hodge’: A lax variety, excellent for baskets and the edges of containers. The profuse single flowers have a pale pink tube, pinkish-orange sepals and an orange corolla. ‘Tangerine’: Upright variety with medium-sized, single flowers with a pink tube and sepals and an orange corolla. ‘Aurora Superba’: A medium to large, single flower with pale orange-rose tube and sepals and an orange corolla. The dark, serrated leaves naturally grow somewhat twisted. ‘Orange Crystal’:
A medium to large, single flower with pale pink orange tube and sepals and a deep orange corolla.