Fuchsia plants are popular for summer flowers in borders, pots and hanging baskets. They have attractive pendent shaped flowers which come in a variety of different shades of pink and purple, often with highlights of white. Find out how to grow this wonderful variety in our guide below.
General Information
With the correct care these beautiful flowers can bloom year after year. They grow well in the south of England where it is warmer as is evidenced by the huge amount of fuchsia bushes present in Cornwall and Devon. In colder climates they need to be planted in a warm position, sheltered from the wind, and in soil that is well drained. They need to be taken in during the winter or protected with a frost protection fleece.
There are a huge number of fuchsia varieties available including ones with jumbo flowers, trailing fuchsia plants and an enormous range of colours too. They usually grow to about 50cm and bloom all through the summer guaranteeing you a really colourful display. Flowers will die off with the first sign of frost, unless you choose a really hardy variety. Not many people realise that the fuchsia plant has edible fruit. However, the taste of the fruit varies from being almost tasteless to having an unpleasant aftertaste. The fruits can make good jam, but make sure you check if the varieties you have are the ones with the tasty berries. The easiest way to buy them is as fuchsia plug plants. They can then be trained into the type of plant that you want.
You can plant them and let them grow naturally or you can take away all the leaves up to the top of the stem once it has grown to the required height to make a tall bush rather than an on the ground plant. The fuchsia plant was originally found in America and seeds were sent over to England. In 1825 the hybridising of the plant started with many different varieties being crossed to produce a whole range of plants with different colours and shapes of flowers. This is when the different varieties of trailing plants (often used in hanging baskets or tubs) and bushy plants (often planted in borders) were produced. There is even now a climbing variety called Lady Boothby which is now for sale. Ideal for hiding fencing or boring garden walls and covering them in a host of colourful blooms.
On Receipt
• Unpack plugs immediately and stand them in water for an hour.
• If you can’t do this, they can sit in their mini greenhouse for a week if upright and not too wet.
• Plugs may be slightly dry or yellow after being in a dark box in the post, but they’ll quickly recover.
• Put them somewhere warm, light and airy such as a windowsill or greenhouse.
Planting Advice for fuchsias
• When potting on, handle plugs carefully. Pot on using 9cm pots in Shuttle Trays, using good multi-purpose compost.
• Give your plants a good water initially, then only when the top compost starts to dry. They don’t like to be left in standing water.
• When established, plant approx. 20cm (8in) apart to allow them room to grow – remember to protect tender plants from late frosts.
• Feed using a high-potash feed such as Blooming Fast Superior Soluble Fertiliser, to encourage flowering.
• Dead head when flowers fade to encourage more flowers.
• Remember that plants are frost tender and should be protected from frost at all times.
Aftercare Advice for fuchsias
• When all risk of frost has passed, gradually acclimatise your plant to outdoor conditions over a 7 to 10-day period, before planting into its final positions in patio containers and sunny or semi shaded borders.
• Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil, with shelter from the wind. In containers, use a John Innes No 3 based compost.
• When planting in the ground, plant the base of the stem 5cm below the soil surface and provide a deep winter mulch and shelter from the wind.
• Water fuchsia plants sufficiently to keep the compost moist but not waterlogged and do not leave plants standing in water.
• Fuchsias prefer shade for the hottest part of the day.
• A balanced, liquid fertiliser used in summer encourages better blooms over a long flowering period
Pruning Advice for fuchsias
• When in active growth, you can pinch out tips to increase the potential number of blooms, although this will delay actual flowering – flowers usually open six to eight weeks after you finish stopping.
• Prune stems back to a low permanent framework in spring.