Fuchsia help! Beginner...

Rob Lockwood

Hi all

We're looking at buying a couple of fuchsia plants, but know very little about them.  3 main questions, but any advice gratefully received...  We saw a stand by Potash Nurseries at last year's Chatsworth show, so are basing these basic questions on their site:

1) How hardy are they when NOT planted in the ground?  Would they overwinter in the house where there isn't a lot of light?  What do any fans on here do to look after them?  Do they do well enough in hanging baskets?

2) Are cuttings relatively easy to take to try to avoid losing them?

3) The above site sells "young plants in 6cm pots" - how long do they take to reach full size and am I likely to find more mature specimens anywhere?

Thanks,  Rob

Rob Lockwood

I should say: I'm in the midlands of the UK, have sandy soil, and have overwintered dahlias the last 2 winters by putting a mound of earth over them.

Kitty 2

Hi Rob. There are many different types of fuschia.
Hardy ones can survive uk winters, half-hardy need frost free shelter. Do you know which type the ones you were looking at were?

I have hardy ones in pots and in the ground, simply prune off the old stems when they start shooting again in spring (after the risk of hard frosts has passed) and they bush back up again. I've tried overwintering half-hardy in the greenhouse with varying success, so usually take cuttings and try to keep them ticking over on a windowsill.

I've found fuschia cuttings strike very easily in a glass of water. @Lyn is the forum expert who taught me how and gives great fuschia tips and advice.

purplerallim

I've never managed to keep a fuchsia in a hanging basket going more than one year. All of mine are in tubs with summer bedding. At the end of the summer growing season the tubs go in the greenhouse ( when the tomatoes have given them room) and just get any long stems trimmed. This year three out of five survived.
I do know of people without a greenhouse who winter outside by mounding up soil, straw or wrapping in fleece,  as long as the roots don't get frosted or sodden they should do ok. Have never tried cuttings.

Rob Lockwood

Thanks both - different experiences then!  Kitty2 - the site I looked at described their "hardy" ones thus: "should prove hardy throughout the UK when planted in the ground - not in pots."  The other sections included "species", "upright" or "trailing", the "trailing" I've read may be the less hardy ones?

I don't really go in for fussy gardening(!) so would rather have a fuchsia I can bung in the ground and forget about, mound up in winter or possibly move to an unheated greenhouse (as I do with my chocolate cosmoses), rather than the most amazing plant which takes more care!  By the looks, though, there's a good selection of hybrids/cultivars which can at least survive in my unheated GH over winter.

purplerallim

Yes I only go for the GC ones usually a black/deep purple and a white/ purple , whichever variety is in that year.

amancalledgeorge

I've found them very easy to keep, the hardy ones, that is. Particularly pleased with Garden News and Annabel who kept on flowering non stop until the first frost and they are back this year and getting nearer to flowering day by day. Have them in pots and they have been very happy...but I'm based in London, may need a bit of protection from frost if much colder where you are. 

craigbeck

I planted a lot of so called hardy fuchsias 2 years ago as ground cover whilst my shrubs grow, the majority are still there and competing for space. The shrubs are obviously going to dominate. The one fuchsia that is fighting back is delta sarah, which is nice as it's one of my favourites and the fruits are quite nice too, didn't know this till last year.

Suesyn

This fuchsia  is Churchill which was a plug plants in a little tiny container  (think about the size of an egg cup) for the garden club summer competition last year. I fed it and potted it on all summer and kept pinching out the growing tips until about August and by that time it was about 45cm tall. After the competition at the end of September I put it in the unheated conservatory and more or less ignored it until early February. All the leaves had fallen off so I cut it back to about 15 cm and started watering about once a week, it has been potted on again and as you can see is flowering beautifully. I will put it outside when the nights get a bit warmer and I guess it will need feeding. I have never grown a fuchsia before so I am quite pleased with this but I didn't win the competition!  Maybe I'll do better with this year's pelargonium. 

Dirty Harry

I planted Mrs Popple and Genii in the ground last spring and both are fine. Plant them deep.

Rob Lockwood

Thanks all!