Description:

A beautiful upright selection, ideal for patio pots, baskets, and window boxes; stunning flowers with lavender-purple corollas and bright red sepals dangle from arching branches, blooming from spring to fall; adaptable as a houseplant; low maintenance

Ornamental Features

Sharkie Fuchsia features dainty nodding purple bell-shaped flowers with lavender overtones and cherry red calyces at the ends of the branches from late spring to mid fall. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The textured pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Sharkie Fuchsia is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a shapely form and gracefully arching branches. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects

Sharkie Fuchsia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Sharkie Fuchsia will grow to be about 20 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 inches. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 8 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant will benefit from an application of bonemeal and/or mycorrhizal fertilizer at the time of planting. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Sharkie Fuchsia makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.