Discover your fuchsia’s perfect planting partners in our guide
Image: Fuchsia Colour Collection (hardy) from Thompson & Morgan

The world’s your oyster when it comes to choosing the best companion plants to complement your fuchsias. Seasonal tender fuchsias blend so well with other summer bedding plants that you’re almost spoilt for choice. The same applies to hardy types, which work well alongside a wide range of perennials in mixed borders. Here’s some tried and tested wisdom when it comes to finding the perfect partners for your fuchsias.

Best flowers to plant with fuchsias in containers

In a patio container, complementary colours matter more than the types of flowers
Image: Fuchsia ‘Swingtime’ from Thompson & Morgan

When planting up containers, the colours you choose to complement your fuchsias are more important than the specific type of flowers. While there are no strict rules about colour in the garden, the majority of fuchsias bloom in shades of pink, purple and white, so it pays to think of those colours when choosing companion plants, particularly in the confines of a patio pot or hanging basket.

While petunias and geraniums are perfect basket partners for fuchsias, the wrong colour combination could detract from the display. Decide whether you want a contrasting or complementary mix, or go all out with an exuberant riot of colours. For kaleidoscopic colour, simply choose a different flower for each plant in your display. For contrasting and complementary mixes, familiarise yourself with the colour wheel – contrasting pairings (like purple and yellow) are found on opposite sides of the wheel, while complementary colours (like purple and blue) sit next to each other.

Top 5 container companions for fuchsia:

• Petunia
• Geranium (Pelargonium)
• Lobelia
• Begonia
• Busy Lizzie (New Guinea)

Best shrubs to plant with fuchsias in borders

The architectural, evergreen foliage of fatsia japonica is a perfect partner for fuchsias
Image: Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’ from Thompson & Morgan

Established border fuchsias can produce hundreds of flowers at any one time, so positioning them alongside other flowering shrubs can lead to over-fussy displays. Selecting the best companions for a harmonious border is about finding the right balance between flowers and foliage. There are two ways to go about this. If flowers are your thing, go for two thirds flowers and one third foliage (one foliage shrub for every two flowering shrubs). For a more natural look, reverse this ratio, opting for two thirds foliage and one third flowers (two foliage shrubs for every flowering shrub).

Top 5 border companions for fuchsia:

• Fatsia japonica (for foliage)
• Choisya ternate (for foliage)
• Nandina domestica (for foliage and flowers)
• Weigela (for flowers)
• Phygelius (for flowers)

We hope you find the perfect planting companion to show your fuchsias off to best advantage. And if you want to add more of these low-maintenance, elegant shrubs to your borders, hanging baskets and containers, take a look at our fuchsia hub page for inspiration and advice.

Kris Collins

Kris Collins works as Thompson & Morgan’s quality control manager, making sure customers new and old are kept up to date on the latest plant developments and company news via a wide range of media sources. He trained in London’s Royal Parks and has spent more than a decade writing for UK gardening publications before joining the team at Thompson & Morgan.