About
A medium-sized deciduous shrub with slender, arching branches and small ovate leaves. Flowers single, long stalked. Calyx tube and sepals crimson, the latter long and slender. Petals violet-purple.
About the genus
Fuchsia can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs or trees, rarely perennials, with opposite or whorled leaves and usually pendent flowers with conspicuous tubular calyx, 4 spreading sepals and 4 erect petals
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun, Partial shade
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, West-facing, East-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH4
Plant details
Plant typeShrubs
HabitBushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height1.5-2.5 metres
Spread1.5-2.5 metres
Time to full height5-10 years
Suggested usesCottage and informal garden, Coastal, Wildlife gardens
Native toChile, Argentina
ToxicityAlthough Fuchsia berries are edible, most are not particularly tasty and are sparsely produced on plants. Fuchsia plants are generally grown as an ornamental and not for fruit crops within the UK
Care notes
CultivationCan be grown outdoors in moist, fertile soil. Plant the base of the stem 5cm below the soil surface and provide a deep winter mulch and shelter from cold drying winds. May remain semi-evergreen in milder areas where it can be grown as a hedge. See hardy fuchsia cultivation for further information
PruningPruning group 6
PropagationPropagate by softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to aphids, fuchsia gall mite, capsid bug and vine weevil
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to fuchsia rust, grey moulds and honey fungus (rarely)