Back to the FUCHSIA!
We’ve thought of fuchsias as exotic since they arrived here in the 1700s, but they’re hardier than you think, says Monty Don
THE borders throughout my garden follow colour themes. The Jewel Garden has rich jewel-tones, the Cottage Garden softer pastels, the Writing Garden is all white and the Mound has soft yellows, blues and white. However, fuchsias do not fit neatly into this.
Some of the richer colours such as ‘Dollar Princess’, ‘Rufus the Red’, ‘Voodoo’ or ‘Mrs Popple’ — all hardy varieties — fit easily into the Jewel Garden palette. But others, such as ‘Hawkshead’ — which is almost pure white — or the pretty pinks ‘Beverley’ or ‘Remembrance’, belong to the Cottage Garden.
Would that all life’s problems were of this order...
When fuchsias were introduced here at the end of the 18th century they were considered exotic and most were grown in hothouses up to the 20th century. But most are reliably hardy in the south and many are healthier for being grown outside in the summer. The main species, F. magellanica — the type growing in Cornish hedges — can be left outside in most areas but needs shelter from strong winds and hot sun.
Most fuchsias like dappled shade and moist, warm but not baking conditions. If they get too hot and dry, especially under glass, they’re prone to whitefly and red spider mite. Keeping them damp (but not sodden) and cool is best.
FUCHSIAS like an open, loose soil so add plenty of leaf mould to heavy soil and mulch well every spring. They only flower on the current season’s growth so have to be pruned hard every year. Treat them like late-flowering clematis or buddleia, and cut back most of the old wood — even if it has new shoots — in spring.
I lift my fuchsias and store them under glass in pots in a cool greenhouse or cold frame, but they need a dormant period and should be cut back really hard each spring. If you’re leaving them out in the garden over winter I recommend pruning to half their size straight after flowering finishes at the end of October to avoid wind-rock (when strong winds loosen a plant’s roots) which can cause more damage than frosts. Sharp frosts will make all the top growth die back but that will regrow strongly in spring. However, a generous mulch in autumn helps protect the roots.
There are a number of different types of fuchsia. Trailing varieties such as ‘Celia Smedley’, which has rich raspberry and purple flowers, or the much more delicate ‘Rapunzel’ are perfect both for hanging baskets and trailing over the edge of a large container. The species F. triphylla has long, very slim tubular flowers and is a good choice for a hot, sunny spot or in a conservatory — but it will need frost protection. I am growing ‘Tom Thumb’ and the very dark ‘New Millennium’ in a container set around a fuchsia-coloured English rose ‘Thomas à Becket’. Fuchsias in a container need more watering than those in a border, especially hanging baskets.
Bush or upright fuchsias are good for summer as a central feature, but these too will need winter frost protection. Standard fuchsias need permanent staking because if the top growth dies back it will grow back from the base and you will lose the careful training that made it a standard.
Cut back on watering for all indoor fuchsias in winter. They will drop their leaves so remove most before storing and if you lift them from a border, pot into the smallest pot that accommodates the roots.