Fuchsia

About Fuchsia

Fuchsias are shade-loving plants, often grown in hanging baskets, with dangling two-toned flowers in red, pink, purple and white. The flowers are unscented but full of sweet nectar, and hummingbirds work them all summer (WSU; NC State). Most garden fuchsias are tender and grown as annuals or brought indoors for winter; hardy fuchsia (F. magellanica) is a shrub that dies back and regrows from the roots. Heads-up: hardy fuchsia has invaded wet forests in Hawaii and is rated high-risk there, and in coastal California the fuchsia gall mite is a serious pest, so pick resistant kinds (UC IPM).

Hardy fuchsia survives in zones 5-10 (NC State; WSU says zone 6 and warmer), while most hybrid fuchsias are hardy only in zones 10-12 and are grown as annuals or overwintered indoors elsewhere. Hardy fuchsia is naturalized and invasive in Hawaiian wet forests (Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment: high risk).

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Grow in shade or morning sun; afternoon sun is too hot (WSU). Plant hardy fuchsias in late April or early May with the crown 4-6 inches below the soil, and mulch deeply in late fall (WSU). To overwinter tender fuchsias, keep them cool and dark at 45-55 F with very little water, then cut them back by half about a month before your last frost (WSU).

Soil

Rich, moist, fast-draining soil or potting mix with perlite or vermiculite; roots rot if they sit in water, and plants don't tolerate drought (WSU; NC State).

Use a potting mix that contains fertilizer plus perlite or vermiculite so it drains fast; in the ground, add perlite or vermiculite for drainage (WSU).

Feeding

• spring and summer, while plants are growing: soluble balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. WSU feeds container fuchsias weekly in spring and summer, tapering off in fall; a slow-release fertilizer that lasts 2-4 months works instead.
• hardy fuchsias in the ground, monthly during active growth: balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20. WSU Master Gardeners call hardy fuchsias heavy feeders; feed monthly at the label rate or use a slow-release granular fertilizer.

Hot afternoon sun and soggy soil are the common killers; container plants may need water once or twice a day in hot weather (WSU).

Harvest

Flowers come on new growth from late spring until frost. Pinch the tips of young shoots to make more flowering branches, remove faded flowers, and feed regularly to keep new growth coming (WSU; Illinois Extension).

Varieties (16)

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Twospotted spider mite, Whiteflies

In the kitchen

Safety: NC State and the ASPCA list no toxic parts; NC State calls the berries of hardy fuchsia not edible for people.

Pets: Non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA lists honeysuckle fuchsia, F. triphylla; NC State also lists hybrid fuchsia as non-toxic).