Fuchsia venusta Lady Thumb

The Fuchsia 'Lady Thumb' is a highly floriferous variety of Fuchsia, with a very compact but flexible and gracefully trailing habit, which works wonders in hanging baskets and flower pots. This undershrub literally covers itself for almost 6 months with small, pendulous flowers, with a bright carmine pink calyx and a semi-double white corolla, from which the same bright pink stamens hang. It is also a relatively hardy variety, which can be grown in the ground in partial shade or even in full shade in regions with mild winters. It can be used as a border plant, in rockeries, or in flower pots to be overwintered in cold regions.

Fuchsias belong to the onagraceae family and are native to South America, the Caribbean, and Australia. There are many different hybrids. 'Lady Thumb', awarded in England by the R.H.S for its performance in the garden, is still widely cultivated due to its floribundity and ease of cultivation. It quickly forms a compact and slightly trailing small bush, 25-35 cm (9.8-13.8 in) tall and 40 cm (15.7 in) wide. Its flowering period extends from late June to September-October. Its flowers are semi-double, small in size, composed of a long tube extended by 4 long, carmine pink sepals, surrounding a corolla of wider and shorter petals, slightly veined with white. Long, bright pink stamens complete the color harmony. The stems, initially herbaceous, become woody as the season progresses. They bear abundant foliage composed of narrow, deciduous, opposite, whorled leaves, 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3.1 in) long, lanceolate in shape. They have a glossy dark green color.

Usually grown as an annual, this Fuchsia is a perennial that can be grown indoors, but also in the ground where frost is not too severe. Its hardiness ranges from -5°C (23 °F) (without protection) to -8°C (17.6 °F) when the plant is carefully sheltered in winter. Fuchsias pair well with the foliage of ferns, rodgersias, orange-colored heucheras, or light green hostas. They also complement hydrangeas in shaded and cool areas. In a hanging basket or flower pot, they can be accompanied, for example, by ivy, 'Silver Falls' dichondra, lobelias, or bacopas. In a border, dwarf varieties will be enhanced by the foliage of hostas, the delicate flowers of Impatiens balfouri, tiarellas, or epimediums.

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