Epilobium canum is beautiful species of willowherb, native to the California foothills and coastal areas. It is a perennial plant, notable for the profusion of bright scarlet flowers in summer and autumn – it’s usually the only native California plant in an area flowering at the height of summer. They tend to die back and go dormant in the winter. Other common names include California-fuchsia (from the resemblance of the flowers to those of Fuchsias), Hummingbird Flower, and Hummingbird Trumpet (the flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds). Epilobium canum is often found by seasonal creeks, seeps and spring, particularly in the drier southern part of it’s range.
California Fuchsia is easy to grow. It does best and will flower most profusely in full sun. In the wetter, northern part of it’s range or near the coast, this plant will typically require no supplemental water after established. In the drier, hotter, inland southern areas, it will often die without summer water unless planted close to an irrigated or other wet area. You can water it 1x/month without much danger. Plants tend to get straggly after flowering by late fall or early winter. Best to cut them back to the ground as soon as the flowers are spent, and they’ll come back back lush and healthy in the spring. Otherwise, they’ll look straggly and unhealthy the next year, and are more likely to die. This plant will readily self-seed, so once you get this species established, it will usually start springing up around your garden. It also spreads by rhizomes. There’s probably no better California native plant for attracting hummingbirds.
This plant is on several fire resistant plant lists, including FireSafe Marin and County of San Diego.