Fuchsia hybrida Alice Hoffman

The  Fuchsia 'Alice Hoffman' is an old German variety dating back to 1911, still highly appreciated for its floribundity and good cold resistance. Not very large, it forms a small mounding bush covered with dark green and enamelled leaves, adorned with a multitude of red and white bell-shaped flowers that bloom throughout the beautiful season. It goes to sleep in winter, under a thick straw blanket, to come back stronger in spring. A very reliable fuchsia, ideal for adding a touch of cheerfulness to shaded areas of the garden. 

Hybrid Fuchsias are countless, and mostly derived from Fuchsia magellanica and Fuchsia fulgens, sometimes with the contribution of Fuchsia triphylla, which brings length to the flowers, then characterized by thin tubes and violet-reversed leaves. All these herbaceous to woody plants, more or less hardy and more or less erect or trailing, belong to the evening primrose family, and are native to South America, the Caribbean and Australia.

The 'Alice Hoffman' Fuchsia quickly forms a small, bushy and slightly trailing shrub, about 40 cm (15.7 in) tall and wide. The stems, initially herbaceous, become woody over the course of the season. They bear abundant foliage, dark green, composed of narrow and deciduous leaves, which are opposite, whorled in groups of 3 or 5, entire, 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3.1 in) long, and lanceolate. Its flowering extends from June to September-October. Its flowers are single, 4 to 6 cm (1.6 to 2.4 in) wide, composed of a long pink-red tube extended by 4 long and curled sepals, and a corolla of wider and shorter white petals. Long purple stamens perfect the harmony of colors.

Usually grown as an annual, this Fuchsia is a perennial shrub that can be grown indoors, but also in the ground where frost is not too severe. Its hardiness varies from -6°C (21.2 °F) (without protection) to -11°C (12.2 °F) when the plant is carefully sheltered in winter. Fuchsias go well with hydrangeas and the foliage of ferns, rodgersias, orange heucheras or light green hostas. In a flower pot, they can be accompanied, for example, by ivy, 'Silver Falls' dichondra, lobelias or bacopas with very light flowers. Varieties with large flowers will be beautifully enhanced by upright varieties such as 'Prince 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. Native to South America, botanical Fuchsias have gradually been multiplied. There are now said to be tens of thousands of hybrids!

We supply green plants from 4 to 8cm (1.6 to 3.1 in) in cases of 5 small plugs with a diameter of 2.8 cm (1.1 in) and a height of 4 cm (1.6 in). Our plants are at least eight weeks old and strong enough to be planted in the ground.