Fuchsia - naff or not?

[LONGK]

Fuchsias are everywhere but let's face it, they're a bit naff aren't they!
Maybe - there are some truly horrid, flouncy and tacky cultivars about, but there are also those that are graceful (classy even), fantastic and also gloriously different. They are also useful as pot specimens, on the whole tolerant of a wide range of conditions and so incredibly cheap!
As our summers are becoming less predictable I decided when I moved last year that I would add a few more to the new garden. So I bought some three Hawkshead............


a David (a dwarf Fuchsia)................


and bought a cutting of F.magalenica with me from the old house.............


All are hardy, and I like them because of their classic simple flowers.

I've had F.perscandens for a few years now. Hardy if dryish over the winter it is the only(?) true climbing Fuchsia (in the wild it twines its way through other shrubs). Best of all is the colour...................


The flowers emerge from the old wood.................


Another New Zealand native is F.procumbens. I received seed for this from a contact in NZ in October 2011 and eight months later it was blooming.................


A tender cultivar that I do grow every year is Satellite.................


In a similar vein this year I've added Marinka and Display this year too.

The Triphylla group has some great forms and the one of choice for me is Thalia............


It's fast growing and cheap so I never over winter it. Always blooms strongly.

Hopefully this summer will see my seed grown F.boliviana (red and white forms) bloom for the first time.

On another forum I was given the heads up on Other Fellow Fuchsias (http://www.otherfellow.co.uk/viewcategory.php?groupid=6) and ordered a few species from them this spring. Really do recommend them.

What are your thoughts on Fuchsia and what do you grow?

[charlie]

I am a fan of the big ones, either the large shrubs with smaller flowers or the ones with big leaves or big flowers like these two

fuchsia paniculata by charliepridham, on Flickr

fucshia boliviana2 by charliepridham, on Flickr

[LONGK]

That Boliviana is something to aspire too. What is your winter care regime?

[DaveP]

The blowsy hybrids I loathe, but one or two hybrids and a number of species still get me excited.
F. fulgens 'Speciosa' has impressed me for over 15 years due to its resilience (a big fat basal tuber helps in this respect), the gloriously large sage green leaves with pink veins and its terminal clusters of slender, tubular, soft scarlet flowers that carry on well into early winter here. Planted in the dry shade of a wall, it has proved astonishingly tough.
Fuchsia bolviensis is another good one for foliage and very handsome clusters of flowers that looks as though they've been fashioned from sealing wax. It used to seed itself about in my garden and the most durable plants were self-set. Until the winter 09/10 that is.

Another that I'm fond of (albeit rather tender even here during the mild years) is F. aborea. Totally un-Fuchsia like in every respect, the deep green glossy leaves are a joy, the angular sparse branching habit slightly less so until it gets to 1.8 - 2m high and more. By which time it has definite purpose. It produces panicles of small, lilac pink flowers on similarly coloured stems and to top it all of these are followed by petit-pois sized berries in a matching colour. As nights cool, older leaves take on superb colour and if you can keep it above 0C it will look moderately acceptable for much of the winter. As with boliviensis, it seeded itself down with me and popped up almost everywhere - but that was before you-know-when.

Of the hybrids, excepting the triphylla types most have me yawning, but I must admit to having (and sneakingly respecting) a couple of 14+ year old 'Eva Boerg'. This is a 'trailer' and young plants will do fair justice to your hanging whotsits for most of the summer. Root them out at the end and plonk them into a slightly sheltered spot where they can see some sun and leave them be. In a mild winter Eva wont die back and if you're lucky, she will mound up on herself producing and almost 6 month long cascade of purplish-mauve and off-white flowers. They are big enough to be noticed (if size is your criteria), but not so large as to be crude or coarse in any way.

[Wayne]

For a long time, I didn't really respect the fuschia..having seen one too many blousy form in a hanging basket. But I'm changing my mind these days, as I started using them for under planting beneath larger shrubs and shady area's. The Thalia's to my eye look exotic and I have just about over wintered a very small Boliviana, which I'm looking foward to seeing this year.

There are some very loud colours out there which would add to a sub tropical planting scheme.

Hope to see more cultivars from you all.

Wayne

[LONGK]

Dave - some choice plants there.
Nice to see that it's not just me that struggles with a lot of the cultivars.

Wayne - here are a couple of cultivars that I do like.
Jollies Nantes makes a good small pot specimen on my display stand in the back courtyard..............


I've convinced myself that Display is cerise (not pink). Borderline hardy.............

[flounder]

Love 'em or hate 'em, they do break up the dull days of summer. I have quite a few hardy varieties. Lost all my triphyllas a few years ago to my incompetence.....trusted somebody to water the greenhouse whilst on holiday :roll:

[LONGK]

Love 'em or hate 'em, they do break up the dull days of summer.

That's true. There's a house about a mile away that has a garden full of the flouncy ones. Not my thing (it's rather ghastly truth be told) but I cannot help but admire their dedication as most are tender and they're mature plants. Must have a big g/house out the back.

Lost all my triphyllas a few years ago to my incompetence.....trusted somebody to water the greenhouse whilst on holiday :roll:

I trusted my poor old Dad with my Deppea splendens seedlings when I went away - he got confused, they died :o

[Darran]

I quite like fuchsia's :D

I grow F. denticulata - which has beautiful contrasting pink/orange and green flowers
http://www.strangewonderfulthings.com/153.htm

I have recently purchased F. lottie hobby which is a hardy fuschia with small leaves and tiny bright cerise flowers, they are not at all blousy ;)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/francescarter/7485944418/

[LONGK]

I quite like fuchsia's :D

I grow F. denticulata - which has beautiful contrasting pink/orange and green flowers
http://www.strangewonderfulthings.com/153.htm

I have recently purchased F. lottie hobby which is a hardy fuschia with small leaves and tiny bright cerise flowers, they are not at all blousy ;)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/francescarter/7485944418/

I've recently bought F.denticulata - really looking forward to that one. Also got F.juntasensis and F.colonsoi.
F.colonsoi is one of the native New Zealand Fuchsia. I just need F.excorticata to complete the set of true NZ species. None are true beauties, but all are interesting. My F.perscandens and procumbens are hardy so far. Excorticata is interesting in as much as it is the worlds largest Fuchsia - in the wild it can grow up to 13 metres tall and the trunk can be up to 1m across.