Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Epilobium Canum

First blooms of 2011 today on the Epilobium canum plants at the front of the garden, along the driveway. This is my favorite of the Epilobiums. There are about four varieties in the garden, but this one has especially pretty grey-green foliage and long, slender, deep red blossoms that are a favorite of both hummingbirds and bees and bumblebees. It is more upright than most of the other Epilobiums (until recently these were called Zauschneria, the common name is California fuchsia) and is very drought-tolerant once established. It's a perennial and will multiply if you let it go to seed. I can recommend this one highly.