It’s the beginning of Thompson & Morgan’s Fuchsia Festival; and we think you’re heading for a long, colourful and care-free summer!
In the UK, we know fuchsias quite well. Even if you’re a non-gardener, I bet you’ll have had a grandma or uncle who grew fuchsias of some kind in their garden. They are the quintessential English garden plant; for any area of the garden, sun or shade; they will sit quietly and do their thing, with minimum fuss, and often producing flowers up until the first signs frosts.
Fuchsia ‘Swingtime’
Let me take you on a tour of the fuchsia garden, right now! First up, think about adorning the walls of your house, whether it’s with hanging baskets or window-boxes. The trailing fuchsias really come into their own for this; we have the traditional varieties such as Swingtime, Marinka and Dark Eyes, which are still much-loved and purchased in their 1000’s every year. But, the newer kids on the block are gaining momentum too. Our Giants Collection is UK-bred, so you know these plants will perform during any UK summer! The blooms are 4-6 inches across, unapologetically showy and they drip like expensive jewellery from the cascading plants.
Fuchsia ‘Bella Nora’
Window boxes shouldn’t be overlooked either, and our new Fuchsia ‘Bella’ range is ideal. The dinky blooms are produced in their hundreds, and are upward and outward facing, so aren’t nestled in the foliage. Pot some up into small pots and sit them onto outdoor tables. We expect this range of fuchsias to grow over the next few years; they’re naturally bushy, zero maintenance and there’s many more colours to come!
Fuchsia Hawkshead
Don’t forget to dress the patio too; there’s a range of bushy fuchsias which are compact and adorned with jewel-like blooms throughout the summer; I love Hawkshead, which can also be grown in the garden as a mini hedge. The dainty blooms are pure white, and quite different to the loud basket fuchsias. The hardy fuchsias are also great for large patio pots, or the border. Shrimp Cocktail and Delta’s Sarah are the pick of the bunch, with fun, colourful blooms. They’re almost like miniature shrubs for the border too; easy to prune and lasting for years!
Fuchsia Pink Fizz
Lastly, and how could we forget, we have climbing fuchsias, which can fit in towards the back of the border, covering fences, walls, or even for growing over archways and up patio obelisks. Fuchsia ‘Pink Fizz’ is brand new, English-bred and grows up to 6 foot in a single season. Try something different to Clematis and Honeysuckle!
So, that’s our little fuchsia garden tour, what do you think? Will you be growing some this season?
I think I have around 20 or so fuchsias, but I haven’t any climbing ones. So that is what I will purchase this year, especially as the garden I have now is tiny. it will mean loosing some other climbers (back to my old garden ) however most fuchsias out flower and for longer period than most of the other climbers I have. I look forward to seeing this years collection .
Hi Robina, thank you for your comment. New climbing varieties mean that smaller gardens can still benefit from this beautiful flower. I’d recommend our new Climbing Fuchsia ‘Pink Fizz’! It produces blooms all along the stem from the base of the plant right to the top! It will create a simply stunning display in a Tower Pot or on walls fences! Let us know how you get on! Kindest regards, Terri
I have a fuchsia in a hanging basket . It has so many buds on it but very few are opening up into the bells. Am I doing something wrong? Do u have any suggestions for me?
Hello Shirley, fuchsias prefer cool, semi-shady conditions so I’m wondering where your hanging baskets are and whether it may be in a position that is too hot and dry.
Hello, I signed up for this but haven’t done anything yet. Just waiting to see what survives after winter. I have a Lady Thumb that I purchased from a Wilkinsons shop, pot grown at the moment. I am also waiting for 3 Hawkshead fuchsias from Thompson & Morgan. One of my favourites due to the pure white flowers and it being hardy. I have had plants of this before but have never had anywhere to put them, just containers and didn’t look after them properly. So 2 for the garden and 1 for a planter which can be brought in doors in winter.I have 2 more – names unknown, again waiting to see how they do over winter.