Fuchsia Marjory Black

Fuchsia 'Marjory Black' is a hybrid variety of Fuchsia triphylla, an Antillean species that has passed on to it its beautiful vigour. It forms a small bushy shrub, with an erect habit, and produces charming flowers in their simplicity, combining a fuchsia pink outer corolla with a mauve violet petticoat. They bloom from May onwards, hanging among its lightly green tinted foliage. It is relatively hardy and easy to grow in a cool, semi-shaded soil. It can be planted both in the garden and in flower pots.

Hybrid Fuchsias are numerous, and most of them come from Fuchsia magellanica and Fuchsia fulgens, sometimes with the contribution of Fuchsia triphylla, which brings length to the flowers, which are then characterized by thin tubes and violet-reversed leaves. All these herbaceous to woody plants, more or less hardy and more or less upright or trailing, belong to the Onagraceae family, and are native to South America, the Antilles and Australia.

Fuchsia 'Marjory Black' is an exceptional creation due to the vigour of its vegetation. It quickly forms a generous, bushy and erect shrub, 80 to 90cm (35.4in) high, or even much higher (up to m) when in bloom, and 40 to 60cm (23.6in) wide. It blooms from May-June to September-October. Its flowers are single, medium-sized, composed of a long tube extended by 4 long and turned-back sepals, fuchsia pink, and a crown of wider and shorter petals, mauve violet, nestled within the outer corolla. Long pink stamens complete the harmony of colours. The stems, initially herbaceous, become woody over the course of the season. They bear abundant foliage composed of narrow, deciduous leaves, opposite, whorled in 3 or 5, entire, 5 to 8cm (3.1in) long, lanceolate. Their colour is a glossy dark green, purplish on the underside.

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 varies from -5°C (unprotected) to -10°C when care is taken to protect the plant in winter. Fuchsias go well with the foliage of ferns, Rodgersias, orange Heucheras or light green hostas. In a flower pot, they can be accompanied for example by ivy, Dichondra 'Silver Falls', lobelias or Bacopas with very 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 (and not Fuschia) in honour 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!

Green plants from 4 to 8cm (3.1in) in cases of 5 small clumps of 2.8cm (0.8in) in diameter and 4cm (1.6in) high. Our plants are at least eight weeks old and are strong enough to be planted in the ground.