Krisitin,
Here is some past feedback from a hummer gardener down south on Magellanica

[I never saw a hummingbird even take a second glance at either plant!There was a honeysuckle blooming right next to that container that was regularly visited so the birds certainly saw the plants but were not interested.

That was my one & only with it & I won't try it again. The plant honestly did not do much for me either.]

A couple of us here in the northeast were going to try it last year. I never got around to it and I am not sure if the other person who was going to trial it ever did either. As far as its hardiness goes. I was told it would have to still be planted in a protected area and heavily mulched and that it still may be marginal.

Penny

I had a baby F. magellanica 'Aurea' (the one with the yellow/green leaves with red veins) in a small container last year and my lady hummer most certainly did go to it. Only thing is, unless you can find a large mature one, these appear to be slow-growing small fuchsias and it seems that it would be a bit hard for a hummer to get down to the ground to get at the flowers if planted in the ground. I understand that they can eventually shoot up some stems to a couple feet, but they are marginal up here as Penny noted and I can't see how they could get very large in colder areas.

I had mine for 2 years in a container that I put in a hanger on my rail, but this last summer was so continually hot that it eventually gave up and dropped its leaves, and it never resprouted when it cooled. I brought it inside for winter, but I'm sure it's a gonner. :-( I can imagine what it might do in the warmer Zone areas on the east coast - ie., it would probably burn up even if it could survive the winters. I think that's why the hardy fuchsias seem to do better on the west coast (more specifically, the PNW) because of the mild winters and cool summers.

But here it was last year, with the flowers right near the bee balm and B&B salvia, which is probably why it was used so much.

It was wild to watch my little one try to go upside down to peck at the flowers!

All you can do is experiement to see what your local hummers will be willing to sample. You might be surprised!

Kristin,
I had a regular red/purple fuchsia and two hardy fuchsia that I think was "Gartenmeister Bonstedt" and the hummers liked the hardies the best. They went to both, but the hardy was the favorite after the lady in red and black and blue salvias. I think this year I'm going to go with just the hardy salvia as it was much easier to grow and cheaper by far at Lowes and Home Depot and they had them fairly early in the season too. If you try the Magellanica, let us know how it does as I'm always open to NEW stuff!!!

glo

Just as an FYI - this is what the top of F. magellanica 'Aurea' looks like:

In more sun, the leaves are more yellow, with the red veins. In shade, it greens up. It is a pretty fuchsia - not just for the flowers but the leaves too.

Hey Jenny,
Glad to seen you have made time to come back The Gang has been asking about you. Also glad to see your info on Magellanica I overwintered my 2 gartenmeisters and took a dozen cuttings which all rooted and are also growing and waiting for a warm spell to go outside and do their thing.

Penny

Hey Penny. Will be checking that spot out a bit more now. One of my sisters had a baby about a month ago, so needless to say I've been busy with my new little neice and have done more lurking than posting until recently due to whipping up some baby blankies.

I remember last year trying to find gartenmeisters and finally saw a few in mid-late summer when it was way too hot to have them outside. Just trying to find room for any more stuff will be difficult. LOL

Thanks Jenny, Penny, and Glo (why can't your name be Henny, or Kenny, Lenny, or Denny?--then I could write Jenny, Penny, and Henny! Just kidding, of course. Is Glo short for Gloria?

Anyway, Glo, I'm a little puzzled by your response, and want to make sure I understand correctly. It sounds like you've grown two kinds of Fuchsia. One you describe as the "regular red/purple fuchsia," and the other is a hardy one called (you think) Gartenmeister Bonstedt. I'm assuming that when you mentioned the regular red/purple fuchsia, you meant the one that you frequently find sold in hanging planters at the Home Depots or grocery stores . The flowers are more doubled and fancier than the simpler, species types. I think I've got you straight on that one. Is that what you mean?

As for the hardy ones you mentioned, I'm puzzled because Gartenmeister Bonstedt is not hardy in northern climes, so I'm wondering if it was actually a hardy Fuchsia that you grew (like magellanica), or whether you truly meant Gartenmeister Bonstedt, which isn't hardy. It's really important to know, because it gets to the heart of my question, and your experience may help me decide which to grow. You said that you had two plants of this, and that the hummers liked it better than the regular one. However, I'm still uncertain which variety it might have been.

If you could clarify this, it would really be helpful.

Kristin,
You might also want to ask these folks about their experiences with Magellanica and Gartenmeister Bonstadt. Quite a few of them growone or possibly both.

Penny

Penny,

Thanks. I don't know if I have the strength to figure out how to post there, but I did a search on magellanica and read a few things.

I'm leaning towards Gartenmeister Bonstedt (or is it Bonstadt?) even though it isn't winter hardy. I did manage to overwinter a Gloxinia once, but in general I just lose patience with that sort of thing. I like plants better when they're outdoors and they survive mostly on their own. As soon as they come inside, they become a chore, but maybe I'll try the Gartenmeister anyway.

Kristin,
If you don't want to fool with a large plant over the winter take several cutting and root them. The root very easily in potting soil. I rooted 12 cuttings in less than 2 weeks. They won't grow alot over the winter but they will grow enough to set out in spring. I didn't cut my Gartenmeisrer Bondstadt (Bonstedt) over the winter and I really should had cut it back at least 1/3. They require very little care inside.Keep away from direct heat and don't let soil completely dry out.

Penny

Jenny, Just realized I was remiss in thanking you for posting the photos of magellanica. They're nice photos, and they do give me some sense of the growth habit. Since, as you say, they're only marginally hardy here, I'm thinking I may settle for the non-hardy Gartenmeister Bonstedt. I'm dreading trying to overwinter it, even with Penny's helpful reassurances about cuttings, cool rooms (my mother's house is generally overheated), and keeping moist.

Penny, plants are happier outside, and it always feels sort of a desperate thing to try to keep them going through those long winter months, say October into May. That's why I usually shy away from non-hardy plants. Heck, that's 7-8 months of winter this far north! Can they really be kept alive that long?! I know you can do it, but I'm not sure about me. I know you're even farther north than me, so I guess it's possible, but I still feel a bit leery. On the other hand, the Fuchsias are cool-looking, they'd do well in my semi-shade conditions, and the hummers like 'em. I'm just gonna have to make a decision pretty soon, as planting time is fast approaching.

Thanks for the advice, folks!

No problem Kristin! :-) From what I have seen of the gartenmeister - the flowers seem easier for the hummers to get their beaks into and their color is all red as opposed to the magellanica's red/purple.

I think if you can find a spot that has a cool shady window, then that might be a good place. Heck, even a bathroom, with its humidity, might be fine. It would be cheaper to overwinter it and make cuttings rather than try to find one for the next season.

I know what you mean about overwintering and the Oct -> May long haul, which many of us do with our subtropicals, tropicals, and marginal warm temperates. At least with the fuchsia, it can be in a dark location. I have plants that need moderate to high light and humidity, so I have humidifiers going all winter (which benefits me too)!

Kristin
Gartenmeister is not always available up here and last year the price doubled from 3.99 for a three inch pot to 5.99 for a 2 inch pot and it was much later than when I have bought them in the past. I figured the price would only keep going up so that is why I decided to overwinter mine. I also overwinter one Salvia guaranitica Black and Blue. The first one I bought was again 3.99 and I left it out over the winter. Last year I had to request the planbt and I paid 16.99 for it. Our garden centers don't offer good hummer plants. They have they same old garden variety plants that everyone has so I either have to grow everything, take cuttings and root them, order plants and pay an arm and a leg or overwinter.

Penny

I grow both in south Jersey. Magellanica can be hardy here, mine came from a friends, one overwintered outside in the ground. The problem for us is while both do better than other fuchsias in our hot humid summers, neither is really very happy in mid summer. Magellanica in particular shouldn't be given too much sun. Mine did fairly well in a mostly shaded area of the yard and did attract hummingbirds. Oddly, Gartenmeister didn't seem to get very many visits last year, whereas the year before it was hit constantly. You've also got to be careful when putting this plant out in late spring. It is very tender and the slightest wind will cause breakage. More than once a perfectly winter grown specimen has been reduced to a tattered mess by May's wind.

Thanks "wardda." I really appreciate hearing about everyone's experiences with these plants. It sound like both varieties would be happiest in the Pacific Northwest, but I may still try one of them if I can just make up my mind which one!

--Kristin

I grow both of these along with many others. The hardy magellanicas are bushes planted in the ground in full sun -- when well-fed and watered over the summer, it is loaded with flowers and attracts many hummers. On colder winters, they sometimes die back to the ground but sprouts fast when it warms up.

I grow the upright Gartenmeisters in big pots. It is less hardy and needs care to overwinter, which I don't bother since I can buy well-rooted starts in 2" pots for 50 - 99 cents in spring.

If you can't find them locally, you might consider mail-order... I did a google search and a dozen vendors popped up. Also, don't forget plants that are similar to Gartenmeister, like Koralle or Firecracker. Look for red or orange triphylla types. Firecracker is particularly nice with its variegated foliage, and looks great with white tuberous begonias.

I like to grow upright fuchsias with trailing types at their base. A nice combo is Koralle or Gartenmeister in the center with Autumnale and magellanica aurea at their base, with sweet alyssum or salmon impatiens as fillers. (Autumnale has gorgeous red/orange/lime green leaves, magellanica aurea is lime/yellow leaves.)

Thanks, Rita, for the info and suggestions. You're lucky to be in the Pacific Northwest when it comes to fuchsias.

What I end up with may depend on what I can find at local garden centers. I'm thinking maybe I don't want to go to the expense of mail order for plants that may not really be ideal for my climate. It's not quite as hot and humid as the east coast cities, but we still can have some hellish heatwaves. I'm getting the impression that the fuchsias wouldn't like this. Also, our fairly harsh winters could hinder success with magellanica. I think I'm just gonna see what I can find locally, and if the price is right, settle on that.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences!

My 2 year old Fuchsia magellanica looks very fragile and small. It is suppostly should reach 7 feet however mine is about 5 inches. I wrap it in the burlap in the winter and have it in the shady spot during the day. What can I do to promote the growth? For the winter, should I dig it out and replant it in the pot take inside?

Here is a link that might be useful: