214 BRECK’S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. 
FUCHSIA,—Lavy’s Ear Drop. 
[So named in honor of Leonard Fuchs, a noted German botanist.] 
Fichsia coccinea is one of the most elegant of decidu- 
ous green-house shrubs; the young wood and nerves of 
the leaves are tinged with purplish-red; the pendant 
blossoms produced from the axils of the leaves, as the 
shoots grow, continue the greater part of the growing 
season, and are succeeded as they fade by a purple berry. 
It is a native of Chili. This species, with / fulgens, F. 
microphylla, and others, have been crossed to produce 
the numerous varieties in cultivation. 
Fuchsias succeed admirably when planted in the flow- 
er-garden, The following directions will give the young 
cultivator some hints relative to their propagation and 
culture: 
“Fuchsias are readily propagated by cuttings, in sand, 
with a mixture of peat; to grow the plants for a bloom 
all summer, they should be started in February, in the 
green-house, first in small pots, and shifted, when the 
roots completely fill it, into a mixture of fresh loam, peat- 
leaf mould from the woods, well rotted manure, and a 
little sand; mix thoroughly, and break finely (not sifted), 
‘with the spade or trowel; give the roots good drainage, 
place them in the warmest part of the green-house, and 
water frequently ; as the warmth of summer approaches, 
and the green-house, or conservatory, becomes empty of 
plants, place your Fuchsias in the most favored position, 
shading them, with a mat or cotton awning, from the sun, 
after ten o’clock in the morning, which remove at five P. 
M., unless the sun is off sooner. This treatment, with a 
gentle syringing of the foliage twice a day,—which, if 
carefully done, does not materially injure the flowers,— 
will produce an abundant bloom all summer and au- 
tumn, and will well reward your care. No class of plants 
is more graceful and elegant. The striking contrast of 
