Questions on Marigolds and Fuchsia

[Bob]

Hello,

Are Safari (yellow)Marigolds annuals or perennials ?

Is inside O.K. for them ?

Do they go dormant in the fall until the next spring, or... ?

Same questions for a Fuchsia Plant ?

Thanks, Bob

[Una]

Fuchsia is a perennial, and evergreen. Most species are native to the cool, moist high altitude tropics. As far as I know not one species in cultivation can tolerate a hard freeze. Most also do not tolerate drought.

In Germany and England Fuchsias are very popular as public garden plants, trained as standards, but they are taken in to greenhouses for the winter.

Una

[David E. Ross]

Among marigolds, the copper canyon daisy (Tagetes lemmonii) and Mexican marigold (T. lucida) are perennial. T. lucida is often treated as an annual. The others -- including the more common French marigold (T. patula) and signet marigold (T. tenuifolia) are definitely annuals.

Fuchsias are all woody shrubs and thus perennial.

Neither marigolds nor fuchsias do well as house plants. Both are susceptible to various insects (especially mites). Inside, those pests can become very abundant (enough to kill their host plants) because other insects that prey on them do not go indoors. Also, fuchsias in particular require more humidity than most people tolerate in their homes; many require summer temperatures cooler than most people find comfortable or can afford to provide via central air conditioning (which also tends to dry the air).

If you think of growing fuchsias or perennial marigolds indoors because your climate is not suitable, you have two choices. Either build a greenhouse with controllable temperature and humidity, or else focus on plants that are more suitable to your climate. You don't need a greenhouse for annual marigolds; they are summer plants that will thrive any place that does not get frost in the summer. Perennial marigolds might not want the same growing conditions as fuchsias, which might then mean you need a partitioned greenhouse with separate climate controls for each partition.