Few shrubs can pump out flowers like these humble, resilient beauties
Who wouldn’t want a handsome hardy shrub smothered in flowers for the rest of summer, with multiple colours shown off from the blooms and the leaves? And even better, a shrub that’s so easy to keep to the size you want, that can be simply chopped in spring when it’s just a bunch of twigs, only to transform into a fresh and flower-filled treasure come June.
That’s what you get with hardy fuchsias. Yet they are something of an underrated plant, seldom seen in show gardens and often tucked away in the garden centre behind plants with bigger blooms. But they work well for a variety of uses, whether you want a large one to add constant colour at the back of a border or to add interest to a bare wall, a low edging shrub, or a mid-sized plant to ensure borders don’t run out of stem and have a summer lull.
It’s true that some fuchsias labelled ‘hardy’ may not get through the wettest, cold winters but some are troupers that can survive whatever the British weather throws at them. There are other fuchsias that look very similar to hardy fuchsias but are not hardy at all. If in doubt, you can take cuttings and give them a sheltered spot in the garden or grow them in containers raised onto pot feet to allow moisture to get away in winter.
The golden rules of growing hardy fuchsias
● Grow them in a sunny or semishaded place in well-drained soil and plant deeply, with the base of the main stem 5cm below soil level so the roots have some extra protection in winter.
● Feed them well, especially if growing in containers. Top fuchsia nursery Roualeyn Fuchsias recommends Richard Jackson’s Flower Power Plant Food.
● Mulch the plants well after cutting back each year, watering before mulching if the soil is very dry.
● Place them in a spot that is sheltered from cold winds.
Potted plant care
Hardy fuchsias are excellent choices for containers filled with three parts soil-based John Innes compost to one part peat-free multi-purpose. The graceful way their stems arch make them good for placing behind shorter annuals in pots. Apply high potash liquid fertiliser such as Tomorite now to give them a boost for the rest of the growing season. If your plant is a few years old, it’s worth repotting in early spring as the plant is breaking into leaf. Once every three years will be enough.
Insurance policy!
If you’re admiring a fuchsia in your garden now but are not sure if it is completely hardy, take 25cm long cuttings of firm stems in autumn, making a flat cut at the bottom just below a pair of leaves. Strip the leaves, push them
