Fuchsias, Everbloomers All Summer
With the month of May, the garden season is in full swing. Garden centers are bursting at the seams with new shipments of plants and for many gardeners this is the month to purchase plants for the summer garden. Whether for flower color or foliage, there is a vast selection to choose from. Sometimes it is like being on ‘overload’ with the choices we have. Often, for many gardeners it is difficult to limit the amount and selection of plants that we buy and often with defer to the adherence of the phrase that “there is always room for one more”.
One group of plants that stands out for continuous summer flowers is the Fuchsia. In addition to the flowers, there is diversity with the foliage that can provide color as well. There are also different growth habits of fuchsias, with some that are trailing and will make an excellent addition for hanging baskets or plant them in a large pot to trail down the sides. There are many upright varieties that are well suited for planting in the ground and will also provide some upright structure in a container. Be sure to check out a relatively new group called “Hardy Fuchsias” that tend to have a more upright form and are being bred to withstand winter temperatures in many parts of western Oregon and Washington.
Considering their native environment of South and Central America where they are concentrated in cool, moist tropical and subtropical regions, the potting mix they require is very important. Black Gold has several good choices and my preference for containers is Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix. For ‘hardy fuchsias’ that will be planted in the ground, plant them about four to five inches deeper than the soil level in the pot and this will help the plants survive the winter. For fuchsias in the ground, I would suggest Black Gold Natural & Organic Cocoblend Potting Mix. Coir is a material that is extracted from the fibrous outer husk of a coconut, and it has excellent moisture retention.
Fuchsias bloom on new growth and a regular fertilizer routine is recommended for continued flowering. Pick off the old flowers as they fade. With so many choices and diversity, it is difficult to pick a favorite, but the following are four that I have had in my garden for several years and I find them very dependable, continuous bloomers, hummingbird magnets, and generally pest free.
Fuchsia magellanica has been in my garden for more years than any other fuchsia that I have. When we have had some very cold winters, the plant will die to the ground, but new growth reappears the following spring. This past winter was quite mild and there was no die back. Because of that my plant, which is growing against a support structure, is now over 8 feet tall and is covered with drooping small red and violet flowers.
Fuchsia ‘Tom West’ has everything going for it. It has a trailing and mounding habit of growth which makes it excellent for containers. With variegated leaves, it looks good even when not in bloom. Give it some protection from the hot afternoon sun. This fuchsia won the Royal Horticulture Society Award of Garden Merit in 2015. It is very deserving of this award.
Fuchsia ‘Debron’s Smokey Blues’ is an upright compact shrub with single flowers that have magenta sepals and deep purple corollas. When I saw this outstanding color combination in a garden several years ago, I knew that I needed one. In addition to the outstanding flower color, the foliage tends to be a light blue green.
Fuchsia speciosa is a hybrid with parentage from Central America and Mexico. It has some unique characteristics, primarily the long red-orange tube shaped flowers and the heart-shaped leaves that have a velvet-like feel to the touch. This is best in a location with some shade where it will reach about 3 ft in height. This fuchsia dies to the ground in the fall and needs to be heavily mulched for the winter.
I have barely touched on the hundreds of different fuchsias that are available. This is an ideal time to buy them because most will be in bloom, and you can be sure of getting the color you want. There is room for a fuchsia even in gardens with limited space or decks and patios where they can be grown in containers. Not only will they provide color all summer, but they are good pollinator plants and a big hummingbird attractant.
About Mike Darcy