Fuchsia Marinka

Fuchsia 'Marinka' is a particularly fine hybrid variety with a trailing habit, producing masses of small, bright red and dark red single flowers. They bloom from late spring and continue until the end of summer, set against a beautiful dark green foliage. A very floriferous and reliable variety, cascading generously with flowers, ideal for hanging baskets. Easy to grow in partial shade, in fertile, moist, and light soil.

Hybrid Fuchsias are numerous, and most of them are derived from Fuchsia magellanica and Fuchsia fulgens, sometimes with the contribution of Fuchsia triphylla, which adds length to the flowers and is characterized by thin tubes and violet-reversed leaves. All these herbaceous to woody plants, varying in hardiness and habit, belong to the Onagraceae family and are native to South America, the Caribbean, and Australia.

The 'Marinka' Fuchsia quickly forms a bushy, spreading, and trailing habit, reaching a height of 30cm (11.8in) when flowering and a width of 60cm (23.6in). Its flowering period extends from June to September-October. It stands out for its elegant and neat appearance, delicacy, and excellent floribundity. Its small single flowers appear in large numbers during a very long period. They consist of a tube extended by 4 long and upturned sepals, quite dark red, and a corolla of wider and shorter petals, light and bright red, embedded within the outer corolla of sepals. Long red stamens complete the colour harmony. The stems, initially herbaceous, become somewhat woody over the season. They bear abundant foliage composed of narrow, deciduous leaves, opposite, whorled in 3 or 5, entire, with toothed edges, 3cm long, lanceolate. Their colour is a rather dark and shiny green. Its hardiness does not exceed -5°C in open ground.

Usually grown as an annual, this Fuchsia is a perennial that can be grown indoors in a large pot, which should be brought indoors during winter to protect it from frost, but it can also be grown in open ground for a season or even longer in mild climates. Fuchsias go well with the foliage of ferns, Rodgersias, orange heucheras, or light green hostas. In a mixed container, they can be accompanied, for example, by ivy, Dichondra 'Silver Falls', lobelias, or Bacopas with delicate flowers. Varieties with large double flowers will be enhanced by upright varieties such as 'Price Noir' or 'Winston Churchill'.

Discovered in Santo Domingo in the 17th century and acclimatized in Europe, it was named Fuchsia (not Fuschia) in honor of a German botanist named Fuchs. Originating from South America, botanical Fuchsias have gradually been multiplied. Today, there are believed to be tens of thousands of hybrids!