Everyone loves this chance evergreen hybrid from U.C. Davis, except those pesky deer. It makes a great windbreak, forming a dense, tidy mound of smooth topped, fuzzy bottomed leaves and soft rust-colored stems, while tolerating coastal breezes. Small white, star-shaped flowers borne at the leaf axils are a nice touch in the drab months of late winter. Beware of overwatering!

Blooms January – March.

Size: 8' 0" high x 8' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 8.

Hailing from Down Under, in Australia’s western Victoria on a limestone cliff top, it’s a happy chance that Mr. Pat Urbonus came upon this stalwart beauty. The tidy, semi-upright mound entertains a dainty gathering of pretty pink starry flowers, whitening as they age. Enveloped by a soft-looking rust-colored fuzz, the light stems and green oval-shaped leaves with pale gray-green undersides possess an untiring resilience to drought, wind, coastal frontlines, pesky deer and pruning. ‘Western Pink Star’ can be sited in a favored patio vessel or massed in a dry border amid Mediterraneans and grasses such as Stipa arundinacea.

Blooms May–June.

Size: 3' 0" high x 4' 0" – 6' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 8.

Sprinkled amongst waxy green leaves, ‘Dusky Bells’s pendulous red tubular flowers, dressed in chartreuse calyxes and flared tips, become one of winter’s more endearing attractions. The dainty long lasting blooms appear in autumn and persist through early spring, luring both gardeners and hummingbirds alike.

Whether utilized as a low mounding specimen in a large vessel or as a tidy evergreen ground cover for banks, hillsides or other tough spots, the Red Australian Fuchsia favors good drainage and light shade where it’s hot. This densely branched shrub is undaunted by deer, ocean frontage, poor rocky sites, and occasional drought. Affiliate with other steadfast companions like Ceanothus ‘Concha’ and Stipa arundinacea.

Blooms November – early March.

Size: 18" – 2' 0" high x 2' 0" – 3' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 9.

Bright vermilion nodding narrow blooms with flared chartreuse tips jazz up a tailored dark green foil. Sporting a glint on top and lighter undersides, clasping pairs of small narrowly heart-shaped leaves cloak the rounded, intricately branched habit of this preeminent Australian Fuchsia. Introduced by U.C. Santa Cruz and Koala Blooms, ‘Carpenter Rocks’ makes an attractive textural statement when planted in drifts or sited singularly in a shrubby border.

Blooms November–early March.

Size: 3' 0" – 4' 0" high x 3' 0" – 4' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 9.