Sherman Library & Gardens 6th Annual Fuchsia Festival

Whenever I gaze at a fuchsia, I think of a woman’s formal dress, including a petticoat. The shape of this pendulous flower, combined with the vibrant colors, make for a dazzling display. The folks at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona Del Mar, California realize the allure of the fuchsia, which is why they hold their Annual Fuchsia Festival every spring.

“Sherman Library & Gardens has such a wonderful fuchsia collection, and many parts of Southern California offer a perfect place to grow them,” says Erin Aguiar, manager of horticulture for the gardens

(Sherman Library & Gardens)

“We started the annual festival, because we wanted to celebrate these beautiful flowers and share our love of fuchsias with the community. It has also become more difficult to find some of the older varieties. We wanted to not only preserve them, but make them more available to the public.” Fuchsias are native to the Americas, just like the flower’s garden counterpart, the hummingbird, says Aguiar. “Fuchsias offer a great way to attract hummingbirds to your garden, where you can easily watch them happily slurp up nectar.”

(Sherman Library & Gardens)

They are also one of the loveliest flowers you can add to your garden. “Fuchsias boast a dizzying array of variety, from the bold, long slender tubes of the Bolivian fuchsia to the dainty miniature blossoms of Fuchsia thymifolia,” says Aguiar. “The classic fuchsia hybrids impress with spectacular color combinations and flower styles.” Once you get past the short learning curve, you can easily grow these spectacular garden gems, encourages Aguiar, who notes that they require shady conditions if you live inland. They can grow in full sun on the coast. They also need to be kept well-watered.