The Garden Guy is dedicating this column to a fuchsia; so many of you are thinking this is a sure sign of the apocalypse. Wait ... this new fuchsia is rocking with August at the door.

The fuchsia I am talking about is Sun Pendants Hot Pink and will make its debut in 2027. My first blooms showed in April and have steadily increased in size and number of blooms. The size has already passed tag projections. They are recommended to be cold hardy in zones 9a and warmer. I’ve got a lot of zone 9 plants that are perennial in my zone 8 landscape, so we will anxiously wait until next year to see what aspires.

That tag says 4 to 8 inches tall with an 8- to 12-inch spread. Mine are right at 12 inches tall and keep me mesmerized every time I walk out on the patio. I am sure you gardeners on the Pacific Coast or upper East Coast are thinking "What’s so hot about fuchsia?" but in the hot and humid southeast it has been a dream.

Had I been a believer I would have gotten extra plants to try in more combinations and to use in hanging baskets. But for a nonbeliever in my small trial, I can hardly wait until next year and look forward to what I think is in the pipeline.

I chose a good potting mix that had slow-release fertilizer granules incorporated. I gave the planter probably too many plants since I expected the fuchsia to croak. My combination featured Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz petunia, Superbells Magic Pink Lemonade and of course, the star of the column, Sun Pendants Hot Pink fuchsia.

In another container I paired the Sun Pendants Hot Pink fuchsia with another plant making its debut in 2027: Luscious Vanilla Breeze lantana, which is white with yellow. It has already been a butterfly favorite. I added Lemon Coral sedum to this mix and love what I see. But can you even imagine partnering fuchsia and lantana?

Lastly, I did a combination with Sun Pendants Hot Pink fuchsia and Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow petunia. The color yellow, definitely dazzles with the hot pink. The Sun Pendants Hot Pink fuchsia will be one to attract hummingbirds and butterflies so consider that as you choose baskets, window boxes and mixed containers.

Sun Pendants Hot Pink Fuchsia is also gaining press at university trials. At the University of Georgia Trial Gardens Industry Open House in Athens, it was chosen as an Industry Choice Award Winner.

Earlier I mentioned what might be in the pipeline. On their website Proven Winners says, “Fuchsia flowers are always beautiful, but may only bloom well during cool spring days and quit once the summer heat arrives. Sun Pendants fuchsia varieties are game changers – selected for greatly improved heat and sun tolerance so they can be enjoyed all season long.”

So, you see, Sun Pendant varieties can only mean more will be coming and the joy of gardening continues. I’ll have my camera in hand hoping to catch those little acrobatic hummingbirds feeding on fuchsias in my yard. I hope you will too!

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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)

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