Brighter fuchsia Summer’s cheery stars
LOOK to the fuchsia for summer containers that shine.
Flowers can be giant petal-packed doubles, refined semi-doubles or teardrop singles, with just four petals.
To appreciate the blooms, especially when they dance on the breeze, grow trailing or cascading forms in baskets.
Fuchsias grow perfectly well in full sun or partial shade – and they will need some on very hot days. Shelter them from cold winds too.
Plants may take just three weeks from a cutting to bloom.
Half-hardy varieties are planted out in May and June. Hardy species such as Fuchsia magellanica will tolerate sub-zero temperatures.
Throughout the summer months, feed every seven to ten days with Phostrogen tomato food, which encourages flowers without promoting excessive sappy growth.
To retain good looks, always remove yellow and damaged leaves promptly and watch out for sap-sucking aphids, spider mites, whiteflies and thrips. Fungus can damage plants too. Pinch out the tips of shoots of young bush and trailing fuchsias to produce bushier plants that flower more profusely. Tips of resulting side shoots can also be pinched out but do it excessively and you delay flowering.
Fuchsia triphylla can take more sun than most – their unusual blooms are characterised by a long thin tube with short stiffly held sepals and a short corolla. The flowers are also strongly coloured with deeply coloured foliage, making them very collectable.
Once established, fuchsias growing in the ground will probably need a thorough watering once a week. In containers, water regularly, especially in summer. Do not allow the plants to sit in water.
The small purple fuchsia fruits are edible – although some are more tasty than others. Birds will devour them but if you want them for yourself, grow Fuchsia splendens, which has one of the best flavours.
The citrus-flavoured berries have a peppery aftertaste that works well in jams.
At the end of summer, bring the plants indoors because any frost will finish them off. basket diameter. But strong-growing plants such as petunias and pelargoniums need more elbow room so restrict the number to five plants per 30cm diameter basket.
Bee-friendly petunias have the frills and spills so just one packs a punch.
Best taste Tip
WHEN winding or unwinding your hosepipe, keep the water running slowly. This stops it kinking and tying itself
in knots.
You can also get a reasonable crop of baby salad leaves, non-hearting lettuce and rocket plus compact herbs. Plant large, deep baskets.
DEADHEAD or remove spent blossoms from frost-damaged pansy flowers. If left, they look like soggy paper tissue and will encourage mould to ravage the plants. Also, you can trim any lanky growth to encourage branching, compact plants and improved flowering.
Super strawberry
IF you are planting strawberries this year, put five around the edge of a 35cm pot with the sixth in the centre, or plant the same number in a 35cm diameter basket. For an instant bumper crop, try growing Elsanta as this variety requires very little settling in time.