A summer-to-fall hummingbird magnet that handles Victor Valley cold, as long as it gets some summer water.
Get a Free Planting PlanCalifornia fuchsia can grow well in the High Desert, but only with some summer water. It is hardy to about 0F and loves heat and sun, yet WUCOLS rates it Moderate water for our region, and Calscape warns it often dies in hot inland areas without it. Give it full sun, a drip emitter, and a hard cutback each fall.
Top photo: Photo: Don McCulley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Perennial · Epilobium canum · Also called Hummingbird Trumpet, Hummingbird Flower, Zauschneria, Zauschneria californica · California native, from the foothills and coast to pinyon-juniper woodland
| California Fuchsia at a glance in the High Desert | |
|---|---|
| Type and size at maturity | Spreading perennial, 3 to 18 in tall and 2 to 3 ft wide [1] |
| Growth rate | Fast. Spreads by rhizomes and self-seeds [1] |
| Water once established | Moderate (WUCOLS IV, Region 5, High and Intermediate Desert: M) [2] |
| Sun | Full sun to partial shade; flowers most in full sun [1] |
| Cold hardiness | Tolerates cold to 0F [1] |
| Heat | In hot, dry inland areas it often dies without some summer water [1] |
| Soil | Tolerates clay and sand; fast, medium or slow drainage [1] |
| Bloom | Scarlet tubular flowers, summer into fall [1] |
| Evergreen or deciduous | Winter semi-deciduous; dies back and goes dormant in winter [1] |
| Pets | Not listed by the ASPCA; check with your vet [3] |
| Wildlife | Among the best California natives for hummingbirds; also visited by native bees and butterflies [1] |
| Rabbits and deer | Listed as deer resistant [1] |
| Where it fits | Groundcover, containers, and late-season color [1] |
Calscape, the California Native Plant Society’s plant database, rates California fuchsia to 0F. The Victor Valley is USDA zone 8b, the average coldest night falls between 15F and 20F, and records reach near 0F. So it will survive a normal winter, but a record cold snap puts it right at its limit. Keep in mind that the plant already dies back and goes dormant each winter, per Calscape, and comes back in spring. See our frost dates and growing zones guide.
Heat is where people get caught. Calscape says that near the coast and in the wetter north, it needs no summer water once established, but in the drier, hotter inland south it will often die without summer water unless it sits near an irrigated area. The High Desert is firmly in that second group, with July highs near 97F and about 5.57 inches of rain a year in Victorville.
We found no source that rates it for wind. As general practice, check new plants often during the March to June wind season, since dry wind pulls moisture out of young roots and leaves fast.
This is an easy plant to site. Calscape says it tolerates both clay and sand and handles fast, medium or slow drainage. That makes it more forgiving of heavy spots than lavender or yuccas. It still does best, and flowers most, in full sun.
Because it spreads, keep it away from small, slow plants it could crowd out, and use an edge or rock border if you want it to stay put.
WUCOLS IV rates California fuchsia Moderate for Region 5, the High and Intermediate Desert. In cooler California regions WUCOLS rates it Low or Very Low, which is why many garden sites call it a no-water plant. That does not hold here.
Calscape suggests watering about once a month once it is established, and says that schedule carries little risk. In the High Desert, treat once a month as the floor in the hottest part of summer. Water more often while plants are getting established, and pay attention to how they look: a plant going limp or crisping in July needs more water. Put it on drip with the other moderate-water plants, not on the zone with your yuccas and agaves. Our High Desert irrigation guide covers zoning by water need.
Calscape’s main care note is about pruning. By late fall or early winter the plants get straggly. Cut them to the ground as soon as the flowers are done, and they come back lush in spring. Skip this step and the plant tends to look ragged the next year and is more likely to die.
The upside of all that spreading: if an old plant does fade out, self-sown seedlings nearby often fill the gap on their own.
Pets: California fuchsia is not on the ASPCA’s toxic or non-toxic plant lists. That does not mean it is safe. Check with your vet if you have a pet that chews plants.
The big reason to plant it is timing. Calscape says it is often the only native plant in flower at the height of summer, and it keeps blooming into fall, when many desert plants are done. Calscape also says there is probably no better California native for attracting hummingbirds.
Calscape also records native bees, butterflies and moths visiting the flowers, so it earns its water in a pollinator bed.
New growth comes up from the roots. Restart drip and pull any runners or seedlings you do not want.
Water at least monthly by drip, more in a hot, dry stretch or for young plants. Flowers start at the peak of summer.
Enjoy the bloom and the hummingbirds. Once flowers are spent, cut the plants back to the ground.
Plants are dormant. Water only during long dry spells and keep the area weeded. Winter is a good time to move rhizomes.
Not in the High Desert. WUCOLS IV rates it Moderate water for the High and Intermediate Desert, and Calscape says it often dies without summer water in hot inland areas. Plan on drip at least monthly in summer.
Calscape rates it to 0F. That covers a normal Victor Valley winter, where the average coldest night is 15F to 20F. Record lows near 0F put it at its limit. It is dormant in winter anyway.
It is not listed by the ASPCA as toxic or non-toxic. That does not confirm it is safe, so check with your vet if your dog chews plants.
Yes. Calscape says there is probably no better California native plant for attracting hummingbirds, and it blooms in summer and fall when few other natives do.
Plant in fall or in spring after the last frost, around mid-March to mid-April in Victorville. Water it regularly until it is established.
We checked every number on this page against the public sources below. If a rule or date changes, the agency page is the final word.
Monarch designs and installs rockscape, drip irrigation and drought-tolerant plantings across the High Desert. We will check sun, wind and soil on your lot and tell you where a plant will do well and where it will struggle.
Get a Free Planting PlanOr call (760) 792-7627
