Fuchsia boliviana Alba

Fuchsia boliviana'Alba' is a very beautiful form of the Bolivian Fuchsia with very long white flowers with red corollas. It forms an erect bush, with few branches, flexible stems, and large leaves, sought after for its original, abundant, and prolonged flowering, from summer to autumn. In a greenhouse, it can still bloom in the middle of winter. Grow it in a large pot, in a semi-shaded position, in humus-bearing and moist soil. It can spend the summer outside and be overwintered frost-free.

Fuchsia boliviana is a botanical species native to South America, particularly Bolivia, southern Peru, and northern Argentina. It is a plant of hot and humid climates in summer, drier in winter. Like other Fuchsias, it belongs to the onagraceae family. The 'Alba' form is even rarer in cultivation and is distinguished by flowers with white tubes and sepals. It is a slightly spreading bush with flexible stems that can reach between 2.50 m and 4 m high in the ground under optimal conditions. In our climates, when grown in a large pot, it will reach about 1.50 m high and 1 m wide. Its foliage will fall with the frost but its crown can withstand some light frosts down to -4 °C in well-drained soil. The large, bright green, elliptical to lance-shaped leaves measure between 10 and 20 cm long. They are arranged alternately on the branches, occasionally opposite and are finely toothed. Flowering begins between late spring and early summer, or even late summer depending on the climate. It continues as long as the temperature remains mild. The tubular flowers measure 8 to 12 cm long and are grouped in pendulous clusters up to 20 cm long. Each flower consists of a long tube extended by 4 white sepals releasing a small scarlet red corolla with curled petals. After pollination by insects, elongated berries form, turning black when ripe. They are edible, with a texture somewhat like a kiwi.

Fuchsia boliviana 'Alba' will delight collectors and enthusiasts of rare plants. Outside the mildest areas, it must be grown in a pot. You can place it prominently on the terrace, elevating it slightly to admire its incredible flowering up close. Choose a partially shaded spot, as it dislikes intense sunlight. To compliment it, arrange some pots of dwarf hostas and discreet creeping plants such as variegated ground ivy Glechoma hederacea 'Variegata'. Bring it indoors to a temperate greenhouse or conservatory in autumn, before the first frost.