Common Name: hummingbird's trumpet
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Onagraceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 0.33 to 0.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.75 feet
Bloom Time: July to September
Bloom Description: Orange-red
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover
Flower: Showy
Attracts: Hummingbirds
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Best grown in dry, sandy to rocky, well-draining soils in full sun. Intolerant of heavy, clayey, overly rich, or poorly drained soils. Excellent soil drainage is particularly important in winter. Tolerant of drought. Provide supplemental irrigation only until plants are established. Reliably hardy in Zones 8-10. Most selections can also be grown in Zone 7 if given plenty of winter mulch and sited in a protected location.
'Orange Carpet' offers improved cold hardiness over the species and is hardy in Zones 5-9.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Zauschneria, commonly called hummingbird's trumpet or California fuchsia, is a genus of around 6 species of perennial, evergreen subshrubs native to dry, desert slopes and scrubland of western North America. The red to orange-red, tubular flowers are highly attractive to hummingbirds.
Genus name honors Johann Baptista Josef Zauschner (1737-1799), botanist and professor of medicine at the University of Prague.
The common name hummingbird's trumpet refers to the shape of the flowers which are highly attractive to hummingbirds. The name California fuchsia refers to part of the native range of this genus and the superficial resemblance of the flowers to those of fuchsia.
'Orange Carpet' (also found under the cultivar name 'PWWG01S') is a low-growing, hybrid selection of hummingbird's trumpet that features bright orange-red blooms and a trailing habit. Mature plants will reach up to 6" tall and spread to fill a 1.75' area. The main bloom period begins in mid-summer and continues to early fall.
Problems
Overly wet and poorly drained soils will likely be fatal. Watch for slugs. Susceptible to leaf spot diseases common to members of the evening primrose family. Deer tend to avoid this plant.
Uses
Rock gardens, xeriscaping, alpine gardens, retaining walls, slopes, mixed borders. Suitable for use in containers.