Cultivation

Fuchsias will succeed in most conditions and soils, but will be at their best in a mild, cool site with moist, humus-rich soil. In many places on the west coast of Ireland, they have escaped the garden and have become established in the hedgerows to such an extent that they have now become part of the landscape. They also do particularly well in Cornwall and western Wales, but are extremely adaptable, and once established they can tolerate both heat and cold as well as drought. In extreme heat, you may find that flowering is delayed but it will commence once the cooler weather returns.

Plant fuchsias in spring, especially in areas with cold winters, to allow young plants enough time to establish a good footing before the winter sets in. Freezing weather conditions may kill off the branches, and it is important to have an established rootstock from which the fuchsia will regenerate. When planting, make sure you incorporate a decent slug of compost into the soil as fuchsias are hungry, fast-growing plants that, if cut back, are capable of reaching around 1.5m during the growing season. Hardy fuchsias are not fussy plants, they work well in many planting schemes and make excellent pot plants. They are also quite at home in either the flower garden, shrubbery or a woodland border.

Fuchsias flower from base to tip, and are suitable for the front or back of the border, although the small foliage looks best among larger-leaved plants. Many species are natural woodlanders and grow well in partial shade. In dim, dappled light, the pale-flowered cultivars, such as Fuchsia magellanica var. molinae and Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’, show up much better than those with darker red and purple flowers.

When tackling pruning, it is important to remember that fuchsias flower on the new growth from spring into autumn. Pruning can be used to promote more vigorous growth and flowering where desired. Ideally, this should be carried out in the spring after the chance of frost has passed (although earlier pruning for the sake of spring combinations may be worth the risk). If a plant has suffered frost damage, cut back to live wood, or after an extreme winter to the base of the plant. Look for the new shoots, this will indicate how much has been frosted and guide you on where to prune to.

The bane of fuchsia growers is the sap-sucking capsid bug, which feeds on the new shoots during spring and summer and will inhibit flowering. If left unchecked the bugs will disappear in September, and flowering will recommence, but if this is undesirable, a broad-spectrum insecticide should take care of the problem.