Growing fuchsia,
These hard-working and obliging plants offer fresh, spring-like foliage well into autumn and can f lower from late spring right through to early autumn
Hardy fuchsias are one of the hardest working and most obliging groups of plants in the garden. There are few plants that flower from early June into November with little maintenance, and also continue to make fresh, spring-like foliage into autumn. When other plants have succumbed to the onslaught of cold winds in autumn, hardy fuchsias stand proud, a respite from the impending gloom of the winter months.
At one time, all fuchsias were considered tender and used only for summer bedding or grown in pots that could be ushered into the conservatory at the onset of winter. Today, changing weather patterns favour the hardy fuchsias; with milder winters, wetter summers, and the rarity of frost before late November, flowers are produced into the depths of autumn. They do particularly well on the light, stony soils here at Malverleys in Hampshire, and we use them throughout the garden. A nearby school has a Fuchsia magellanica var. molinae planted in a sheltered playground, and even with children plucking the flowers and teasing the branches, it flowers almost continuously – even through winter – with little maintenance. In most parts of the UK, fuchsias are deciduous shrubs, and in the coldest areas, they are often reduced to the ground by prolonged, cold weather. In mild, southwestern, coastal regions, they can become mediumsized shrubs and retain their foliage throughout winter. Fuchsia excorticata will grow into a beautiful, small tree with wonderful, exfoliating cinnamon bark in a Cornish garden with a mild climate.
Once established, fuchsias make competitive plants in a mixed border. At Great Dixter, for example, there is a fine specimen of Fuchsia magellanica var. gracilis ‘Aurea’ next to a Magnolia grandiflora. The fat, shiny leaves of the magnolia contrast wonderfully with the lemon-lime foliage of the fuchsia. At Malverleys we have a similar, all-green relationship with F. ‘Enfant Prodigue’ combined with M. grandiflora, and it is a testament to the fuchsia’s ability to stick up for itself that it thrives, even when planted closely to the aggressive roots of the magnolia. The fuchsia at Dixter was underplanted with Spanish bluebells and would be cut back to 30cm in early March before the bluebells began to flower. New yellow shoots were produced in time to combine nicely with the bluebells, and then ultimately conceal the aestivating bulbs. Lateflowering narcissi, such as N. ‘Hawera’, work well in combination with the young fuchsia foliage, as do forget-me-nots and woodlanders, such as woodruff or anemones. Pruning too early can prompt new growth that is susceptible to frost damage, so combinations with early flowering bulbs (snowdrops for example) should be avoided. Even pruning to coincide with late spring-flowering bulbs poses a risk of frost damage, though the potential for wonderful combinations may justify this.
In early June, smaller delicate annuals can be planted to mingle with the developing foliage and occupy the vacant space that will disappear as the fuchsia grows. Avoid planting anything too thuggish that will compete with the young shoots. Papaver commutatum or Campanula patula work nicely, as will Allium cristophii or Allium siculum. As they finish, the fuchsia’s growth will consume and hide them, and by this time, will have commenced its own display of flowers. For later combinations, we marry fuchsia with clematis, but for this to work make sure you select a cultivar of clematis that is not too dominant or likely to swamp the fuchsia.
Come autumn, the hardy fuchsias will finish with a flurry, sending out masses of the gorgeous, distinctive flowers against a foil of fresh foliage. When many other plants have fallen by the wayside, it’s the stalwart fuchsias that will often steal the show.
• Author Matthew Reese is head gardener at Malverleys in Hampshire. Matthew’s recommendations for fuchsias continue over the next five pages.
PLANT PROFILE
What Fuchsia is a genus with more than 100 species, named in honour of the German botanist Leonhart Fuchs (1501-1566). They are mostly small shrubs and trees, but there are also prostrate, low-growing, and scrambling members. The leaves are normally oppositely arranged, with pendent flowers on slender pedicels produced from the leaf axils.
Origins Most Fuchsia species are native to Central and South America, but a few are native to an area from New Zealand to Tahiti.
Season From late spring into late autumn, or even early winter. In mild climates or coastal and city climates, fuchsias will start flowering earlier, and it is not unusual to find fuchsias still in flower in December.
Size In the coldest areas of the UK, hardy fuchsias may be cut down to the ground in winter (by frost or gardener), but will regenerate from woody rootstock and can reach 1-1.5m.In milder areas, they will make a medium-sized shrub of 1.8-3m.
Conditions For best performance, grow in any good, moist but free-draining soil in full sun to partial shade.
Hardiness RHS H4,
USDA 7a-10b.
*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Hardiness ratings given where available.
Fuchsia ‘Lady Boothby’ Although classed as a climber, this hybrid of the Brazilian climbing species F. regia is more of a scrambler and does best when trained against wires. Flowers have spreading calyces and purple corollas. Pinch the tips of the shoots regularly to promote lateral growth. 5m x 3m. AGM. RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b.
Fuchsia ‘Prosperity’ Large blousy, double flower. Its reflexed sepals are a bright lipstick pink with pink-veined white, double petals. Decked with flowers from top to bottom, place at the front of a border so lower flowers are not lost.
1m x 1m. AGM. RHS H3.
Fuchsia x bacillaris ‘Reflexa’
Makes a beautiful, small shrub with tiny leaves and small, trumpet-shaped, brightcerise flowers, which become darker as they age. Produces small, black fruits. 50cm x 50cm.
RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b. Fuchsia magellanica var. gracilis ‘Versicolor’ A shrub with soft, greygreen leaves, each with a white picotee edge. New shoots are suffused pink and the slim flowers are fuchsia-red. Cut hard back to get best foliage. 1.5m x 1.5m. AGM.
RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b. Fuchsia thymifolia This pretty species from the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala produces masses of thyme-like foliage and tiny scarlet flowers. It makes a compact plant, and is particularly suited to growing in a pot. 2m x 1.5m. RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b.
Fuchsia ‘Madame Cornélissen’
Produces strong, upright stems that hold masses of medium-sized, semidouble flowers. Blooms are produced all through the summer, but are more prolific in the autumn.
1m x 1m. AGM. RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b.
Fuchsia ‘Mrs Popple’
A fabulous shorter cultivar that dates back to 1899 and is much-loved today. Large, rounded, fat buds pop to reveal, large plump flowers, with scarlet sepals and purple-cerise petals. 1m x 1m. AGM.
RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b. Fuchsia magellanica ‘Lady Bacon’
Introduced from Chile by Priscilla Dora Ponsonby, Lady Bacon, this makes a lovely spreading shrub with arching branches that bear masses of striking, elegant flowers. Makes a fine specimen shrub. 2m x 2m. RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b.
Fuchsia ‘Tom Thumb’
A dwarf, upright shrub that makes a good pot plant. Masses of flowers are produced from early June. The tube and sepals are carmine, with a mauve corolla veined with carmine. 50cm x 50cm. AGM. RHS H4, USDA 7a-10b.