Fuchsia
The label matters more than it looks: hardy fuchsias are shrubs that die back and return from the base, tender ones are the basket and patio plants that are killed outright by a normal winter. The flowers can look identical.
A hardy fuchsia's top growth is not tidy in winter, and that is the point — it protects the crown. Cutting it off in November is the usual reason a plant that survived five winters suddenly does not survive the sixth.
Hardy fuchsia
Hardy fuchsia
Mulch generously in the first winter in the ground — establishing root systems are more vulnerable to cold than mature ones.
Care
Tolerates more shade than most flowering shrubs, especially in hot gardens.
Standard shrub watering.
Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil; mulch well to protect roots over winter.
Cut back frost-damaged growth to healthy wood in spring once new shoots show — top growth often dies back even on hardy types, which is normal, not a sign of loss.
A high-potash liquid feed every two weeks through the flowering season, or slow-release granules worked in at the spring cut-back. Potash is the point: a nitrogen feed gives a big leafy plant with very few flowers.
Softwood cuttings in late spring root in water or in compost within weeks — one of the easiest cuttings in the garden, and a good way to turn one plant into a hedge.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- AprilCut back frost-damaged stems to where new shoots appear. how ›
- MayFeed as new growth gets going. how ›
- NovemberMulch thickly over the root area for winter protection. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilCut back frost-damaged stems to where new shoots appear. how ›
- MayFeed as new growth gets going. how ›
- NovemberMulch thickly over the root area for winter protection. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Distorted, swollen shoot tips.
What to do. Cut out and dispose of affected growth; no chemical control.
Tender fuchsiaBasket fuchsia
Tender fuchsia
Keep compost just moist rather than dry through winter storage — fully dry compost can kill the dormant plant.
Care
Standard fuchsia siting.
Dries out quickly in pots and dislikes drought.
Fertile, moisture-retentive peat-free compost in containers.
Deadhead and lightly shape through summer; cut back hard once lifted for winter storage, leaving a short framework.
Feed weekly with a high-potash liquid fertiliser for the whole time it is in flower — a basket or pot fuchsia is a heavy feeder and stops flowering within a fortnight of being neglected. Ease off once it is brought under cover for the winter.
Softwood cuttings from the spring growth, taken as the plant restarts after its winter rest, root fast and give flowering plants by summer. Tip cuttings in late summer are the fallback if the parent looks unlikely to overwinter.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchCut back and repot as new growth begins after overwintering. how ›
- JuneDeadhead spent flowers regularly. how ›
- OctoberBring under cover before the first frost, cut back and store frost-free and on the dry side. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchCut back and repot as new growth begins after overwintering. how ›
- JuneDeadhead spent flowers regularly. how ›
- OctoberBring under cover before the first frost, cut back and store frost-free and on the dry side. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut back and repot as new growth begins after overwintering. how ›
- MayDeadhead spent flowers regularly. how ›
- NovemberBring under cover before the first frost, cut back and store frost-free and on the dry side. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut back and repot as new growth begins after overwintering. how ›
- MayDeadhead spent flowers regularly. how ›
- NovemberBring under cover before the first frost, cut back and store frost-free and on the dry side. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. If left out.
What to do. Bring under cover before first frost.
How to spot it. Distorted shoot tips.
What to do. Cut out affected growth.
Popular varieties
Questions
Fuchsia: is it hardy?
Hardy fuchsia: H4: Hardy through an average UK winter. It survives down to −10 °C. Tender fuchsia: H1c: Tender, needs above 5°C. It survives above 5 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Hardy fuchsia: Pots offer less root protection than open ground over winter. Tender fuchsia: Grown almost exclusively in containers for ease of moving under cover.
Fuchsia: when do you prune it?
Hardy fuchsia: Cut back frost-damaged growth to healthy wood in spring once new shoots show — top growth often dies back even on hardy types, which is normal, not a sign of loss. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in April. Tender fuchsia: Deadhead and lightly shape through summer; cut back hard once lifted for winter storage, leaving a short framework. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in March.
Fuchsia: when does it flower?
Hardy fuchsia: In the climate of UK it flowers in July–October. Tender fuchsia: In the climate of UK it flowers in June–September.
When do you feed it?
Hardy fuchsia: A high-potash liquid feed every two weeks through the flowering season, or slow-release granules worked in at the spring cut-back. Potash is the point: a nitrogen feed gives a big leafy plant with very few flowers. Feeding months, UK: May–August. Tender fuchsia: Feed weekly with a high-potash liquid fertiliser for the whole time it is in flower — a basket or pot fuchsia is a heavy feeder and stops flowering within a fortnight of being neglected. Ease off once it is brought under cover for the winter. Feeding months, UK: May–September.