Plant Profile – Correa ‘Marion’s Marvel’

Correa ‘Marion’s Marvel’

1. Common Name:
Marion’s Marvel Fuchsia

2. Scientific Name:
Correa ‘Marion’s Marvel’

3. Family:
Rutaceae

4. Plant Type:
Evergreen shrub

5. Native Range:
Australia

6. Zone Adaptability:
Marion’s Marvel Fuchsia is adaptable to USDA hardiness zones 9-11, point to its ability to withstand a minimal temperature from -6.7°C to 4.4°C (20°F to 40°F). For the British RHS system, it corresponds generally to zones H4-H3.

7. Ideal Conditions:
Prefers well-drained soil and can grow in both full sunlight to partial shade. The plant is drought-tolerant once established and prefers a pH range from acidic to slightly alkaline.

8. Size:
The mature plant generally reaches a height of 1-1.5 meters (3-5 feet) with a similar spread.

9. Growth Rate:
Moderate

10. Bloom Time:
Flowers mainly in autumn and winter, but occasional flowers can appear year-round.

11. Bloom Description:
The blooming flowers are brightly colored, tubular bells with pink and a warm yellow.

12. Leaf Description:
The leaves are evergreen, lance-shaped, and have a glossy dark green appearance, often reaching lengths of up to 3 cm (1.2 inches) long.

13. Uses in Landscaping:
This plant is mainly used for ornamental purposes, borders, container gardening, or as a specimen shrub due to its attractive flowers and foliage. Can be trained as a wall shrub.

14. Maintenance:
Requires regular pruning after flowering to maintain the shape and promote new growth.

15. Pests/Diseases:
Usually healthy but can occasionally suffer from aphids or botrytis (grey mold).

16. Other Features:
The plant is known for its resistance to deer and its attractiveness to birds and bees, adding an ecological benefit to your garden.

17. Propagating:
Propagation is commonly achieved by taking semi-ripe cuttings in summer.

18. Availability:
Correa ‘Marion’s Marvel’ is not so widely available as other shrubs. Look out for it in quality plant retailers such as Johnstown Garden Centre.

19. Pollinators:
This shrub is known to attract pollinators.

Correa ‘Marion’s Marvel’ is a remarkable shrub, flowering from late August or early September, right through the winter, and continuing until late May.

It is evergreen, with small leaves that are peppered with grey dots, the underside of the leaves are greyish. The tidy shrub is quite upright in habit, and is proving quite hardy here in our garden. I suspect that in colder, more inland areas that it would need shelter from a wall.

I have seen it grown in conservatories and glasshouses too.

I was always under the impression that Correa required acidic soils, but I have noticed no ill effects growing here at The Paddock in quite alkaline soil.

It is a plant that requires little attention. If pruning to improve shape or limit size is required, this is best done after flowering, so the end of May.