Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Zauschneria latifolia, Hummingbird's Trumpet


Hummingbird's Trumpet, Zauschneria latifolia. A great plant loved by humming birds and native plant people alike. Buds develop at the end of each each stem, then a new bud develops. Later the first buds began to flower and then the next. This continues all summer. One stem will have empty seed capsules, seed, flowers, new flowers, and buds at the same time. I picked seeds several times a week during the summer last year. Drought stops the flowering. A monthly soaking will keep the flowers blooming all summer. Four or five plants in a basket or tub makes a good display. It spread by under ground stems and by seeds. I have a plant in my yard that has been there since 1999.

It is also known as California Fuchsia. I made a hanging basket with a lot of flowers A 14 inch Bloom Master basket has three rows of holes with ten holes in each row. Last year I put a Zauscheneria latifolia plant in each hole and ten plants in the top. That's 40 plants in all. It bloomed lightly last year. I left it in a cold frame all winter to partially protect it from the hard freezing. I checked it today and new growth has started. There will be multiple stems out of each hole this year where last year there was one or two stems. I am expecting a great floral display this summer. I cleaned it up by cutting off all of the old growth. You can buy plants at Great Basin Natives.

1 comment:

James said...

This plant sounds perfect for hummingbird lovers. How wonderful that it blooms all summer long. We all enjoy hanging baskets with beautiful blooms.Thanks for the great information.