The exotic beauty: Fuchsia is the new addition in our garden

Our garden (combination of flowers and veggies), like many others, has run-of-the-mill garden variety of flowers, such as geranium, impatien, begonia, marigold, and zinnia, etc.  But, a few exotic flowers will be needed to make it special.  Fuchsia is an exotic flower by all measures.

The name of Fuchsia itself is exotic; it is named after German botanist Leonhart Fuchs.  The color of fuchsia is named after her, and that tells a lot.  They have four long, slender, flaring, purple sepals and four shorter, broader, red petals and protruding stamens.  The colors may vary with so many hybrids.

Can you imagine how we brought this pendulous (hanging) exotic beauty home?

Emily Dickinson generally cultivated fragrant flowers in her garden; that's why we never saw orchids and azaleas in her conservatory, which were popular in her time.  But, camellias and fuchsia were exception.  I copy one of her poems here, just to show you fuchsias were indeed in her garden; she usually wrote about the flowers in her garden.  The interpretation of this poem is difficult and is not the scope of this writing. (She apparently spelled Fuchsia as Fuschzia)

I tend my flowers for thee —

Bright Absentee!

My Fuschzia’s Coral Seams

Rip — while the Sower — dreams —

Geraniums — tint — and spot —

Low Daisies — dot —

My Cactus — splits her Beard

To show her throat —

Lady's Eardrops (聖母的耳墬)

Carnations — tip their spice —

And Bees — pick up —

A Hyacinth — I hid —

Puts out a ruffled Head —

And odors fall

From flasks — so small —

You marvel how they held —

Globe Roses — break their satin flake —

Opon my garden floor —

Yet — thou — not there —

I had as life they bore

No crimson — more —

Thy flower — by gay —

Her Lord — away!

It ill becometh me —

I’ll dwell in Calyx — Gray —

How modestly — alway —

Thy Daisy —

Draped for thee!

陳姿蓉 fuchsia 又稱lady's Eardrops(聖母的耳墬) 看到聖母的耳墬子聯想到聽到天主來報喜　她將成為天主之母訊息的第一雙耳朵　聽到天主的話以後　聖母永遠銘記在心（摘自淨心園.園淨心）

Can you imagine how we brought this pendulous (hanging) exotic beauty home?