Fuchsias

Have you ever wondered why so many people grow fuchsias? One reason surely has to be that this is a good hobby plant. And another might be that the numerous varieties are fairly easy to grow. But not so many people realise how much interest there is to be gained from collecting the species. Here are some useful tips on how to grow them.

New varieties

What a feast of colour is available at this time of year for people who enjoy growing fuchsias.

Long-time enthusiasts still enjoy picking out their favourites. The temptation to add new ones to established collections is likely to be stronger than ever this year.

New from Potash Nursery comes 'Chelsea Louise' - a pale pink fuchsia with a purple centre. Also from Potash is 'Lottie Hobby', a 162-year-old hardy fuchsia variety. White Veil Fuchsias introduced 'Windmill' for 2001, named because it "looks like a child's windmill." Sylvia Barker has bold white/red flowers; or for a windy site try hardy variety 'Brutus', a traditional red and purple, or 'Hawkshead', white.

More old favourites

As part of the dazzling C.S. Lockyer exhibit at Chelsea this year, I spotted popular fuchsia variety 'Welsh Dragon' - a vibrant flame red, and 'Autumnal' - a variety valued for its pale green foliage with bronze centres to the upper surface of leaves.

Hardy fuchsias to look out for include F.magellanica and its cultivars are useful as hedging plants - 'alba', a beautiful white cultivar, whereas F.m. 'Riccartonii' is one of the hardiest and will even grow in exposed sites. There is a silver variegated form of F.m. var 'Gracillis'. And often grown varieties bordering on hardiness are 'Mrs Popple' - a red/violet tender cross and 'Tom Thumb' a dwarf variety.

General characteristics

The genus Fuchsia belongs to the family Onagraceae. There are approximately a 100 species in cultivation. But amazingly 95 per cent originate from America - only a few come from New Zealand, Tahiti and the West Indies.

Botanists have created subdivisions of the genus by grouping the species into eleven sections. For example, section Fuchsia the largest section alone contains more than 60 species. F. denticulata, a long drop-earring kind, and the tiny F. loxensis that originates from Loja, Ecuador at altitudes above 6,000 feet, are just two of the species from this section. All the members of this section have long tubes and short sepals.

Fuchsia characteristics vary slightly according to the species. To name just a few of the species from other sections, F. fulgens is easily recognised by its long tube orange flowers that occur in terminal racemes. F. procumbens, which came originally from New Zealand, has small yellow flowers and large pink-red fruits; in the wild this one is found on sandbanks at sea level. F.magellanica produces red and violet flowers with sepals longer than the tubes. This type makes a good hardy shrub for the herbaceous border. And, interestingly, it is one of the species that plant breeders chose as a parent of some of our modern hybrids.

Gardeners, and others, divide fuchsias into hardy species and more tender species. Types of plant include bush, standard, miniature and trailing. Many have red stems and foliage can be light or dark green, bronze, red-tinged, gold or white variegated. All have charming, elegantly shaped flowers.

The fuchsia flower consists of sepals, petals (corolla), tube, pedicel, ovary, anther, stamen, stigma, style.

Uses

Fuchsias tend to be most appreciated in late summer - a time in the garden when other flowers are fading and the garden is beginning to seem a little less colourful. Fuchsias come to the rescue.

Tender fuchsias are a popular choice for baskets, containers and bedding schemes for summer display.

Hardy fuchsias will thrive in any water retentive soil that is well drained. They develop into strong growing shrubs that will tolerate sun or half shade. Indeed they not only tolerate shade but some shade is beneficial. Some species will also stand up to wind and gales, which makes them a useful choice for seaside gardens. But for successful cultivation, the soil shouldn't be waterlogged.

Now here's a useful tip: when discussing her husband's forthcoming new book on roses, called Roses For The Small Garden (Quadrille Publishers), Mrs Jean Mattocks told me that she likes to plant fuchsias with Rosa 'Mutabilis'. "Fuchsias hide the bare ground if a trailing variety is chosen," she said. The 'Mutabilis' rose with its masses of butterfly flowers is planted in the centre of the display, so that it grows up into a pyramid on a willow cone plant support.

Growing them

Cultivation tips for non-hardy varieties: Choose dappled shade, keep them moist and prune back in autumn.

Tender fuchsia varieties require a minimum temperature of 40F in the winter - this will keep them ticking over through the cold season - they may survive if kept not quite dry and cool. Modern hybrids are usually pinched out to encourage the stems to branch. The tips of the shoots are pinched out to cause the side shoots to develop. The aim is to produce more flowering shoots. But showmen also like to use the pinching out method to help them calculate the exact time the plants will be in full bloom. This allows them to enter plants for classes at shows on future dates in the knowledge that they will have plants at their best. Tender varieties benefit from regular feeding with liquid fertiliser.

Cultivation tips for hardy species: cut new plants back the following spring in March or April to 3 or 4 inches of new growth up from ground. Plant out in May. Well-established hardy fuchsias do not require feeding very often, although a liquid feed at the commencement of flowering helps.

Hanging baskets: varieties with a trailing habit make an excellent choice for baskets. Plant young specimens around the edge leaning out at an angle of 45 degrees. In baskets or containers, fuchsias may be mixed with other plants for summer display near the house. For example, a ready assembled rattan wicker basket at Tesco supermarket contained white or scarlet fuchsias, ivy and petunias. A similar arrangement would be simple to put together at home. Alternatively, a reliable basket variety is 'Waveney Gem' - a dainty pale pink/white with lilac.

All-year-round-care

In spring prune hardy fuchsias to encourage vigorous new growth. Young shoots on healthy plants will then give rise to lots of flowers in August, which generally last until the earliest frosts.

In summer provide your plants with plenty of water. Although hardy types are reasonably good at surviving with only natural rainfall, in exceptionally dry weather even the toughest shrubs benefit from a good soaking, which often has the effect of making flower buds appear. Tender varieties in baskets and containers will require daily watering, as the soil where fuchsias are growing should never become waterlogged.

In autumn prepare for winter as the end of the year draws near by taking very tender specimens under cover, or by protecting the crowns of hardy specimens in the open with straw or bark.

In winter even hardy species can be reduced to ground level by hard frosts, however, much to the delight of the gardener, shoots reappear from the base the following year. How pleasing it is to find a treasured plant has survived the winter and made a compact new bush - sometimes discovered during the grand clear up of weeds and undergrowth in early summer.

Training

Bush: When your plant has developed three sets of leaves, pinch out the tip to encourage side shoots, then pinch out the tips of side shoots to make them also branch.

Standard: Varieties with an upright habit are suitable for training as standards e.g. 'Celia Smedley', a vigorous old cultivar with currant red and white flowers. Pinch out all the side shoots on the main stem, leaving the main tip to grow. But the leaves on the main stem should be left in place. Tie the stem to a plant cane or support. Allow the main stem to grow to the required height plus three more sets of leaves, then pinch the tip out. The circle of stems remaining at the top of the standard is pinched out as for bush training.

How to increase your stock

Propagate from your fuchsias by taking cuttings in spring and/or autumn. Dip ends into rooting powder and plant the stems in small pots. Wait until you can see roots through the container before potting on.

There is no doubt that fuchsias are very fascinating plants and for many become a lifetime hobby.