Fuchsia is usually grown as a houseplant, but the flower looks no less elegant and beautiful in the garden. In landscape design, it can serve as an ampel flower, an accent or group plant in open ground, and can also be used in mixborders. Cultivation and care in the garden are somewhat different from the requirements of indoor agricultural technology, so a situation often arises when a flower slowly loses its decorative effect during garden cultivation. To prevent this from happening, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of care in open ground conditions.
Description of garden perennial fuchsia
Fuchsia owes its name to the German doctor L. von Fuchs, considered the “father of botany.”
Fuchsia branches are distinguished by their flexibility and downward direction of the crown.
What does a flower look like
The leaves have a bright green color and an oval shape. Their length is approximately 5 cm. The ends are pointed, and the edges of the leaves have a jagged border. The stems have a light reddish color. Sometimes the foliage also takes on this shade.
The flowers of the plant are single, directed downwards. They are shaped like a bowl. Flowers are double, simple and semi-double. Their color varies: there is orange, lilac, cream, white, pink, blue and violet.
Double flowers
Flowering continues for a long period of time. At this time, the flowers rush downwards more and more and fade towards the end of flowering.
Fuchsia is an annual or perennial plant
Fuchsia belongs to the genus of exotic perennial plants. But since this is a heat-loving flower, it is classified as an annual in northern latitudes.
Description of semi-ampel varieties
The peculiarity of semi-ampel varieties is that they change their shape as they grow . At the beginning of their life, these are semi-shrub forms with fairly strong shoots, but with age the stems become softer, and heavy flowers cause them to droop and droop.
Advice! Semi-ampelic varieties can be grown both in summer cottages, tying them to supports, and as indoor plants in pots with supports or in pots as ampelous ones.
It should be noted that due to the weakness of the shoots, it is always advisable to tie the plant to a support (for a hanging plant pot, this can be a rope to which the structure is attached). When there is abundant flowering, it is important to remove faded flowers in a timely manner. And it is also permissible to remove some buds so that numerous flowers do not break the branches.
Fairy
Fairy is a very beautiful semi-ampelic variety. The flowers are two-colored - a purple bud and a white or red skirt. The contrast of red or white and purple creates an unusual look that will decorate a balcony or room. The stems do not hold support well, so it is best to grow them as hanging varieties. It is very important to remove excess flowers in a timely manner so that the stems do not break.
Golden Monique
The most striking representative of semi-ampel varieties. It is distinguished by large double pink flowers. The skirt of the flower is usually colored in lighter shades than the sepals.
The leaves have a golden color, which is why the variety got its name. When there is insufficient lighting they turn green. The plant is very sensitive to sunlight and loves its abundance.
La fiesta
Unlike other plants of this variety, Fuchsia La Fiesta has white sepals rather than a skirt. At the same time, the skirt of the flower is bright crimson, very fluffy, decorated with white feathers. The variety is distinguished by abundant flowering and a large number of shoots . You can tie it to give the shape of the bush, but this is not always effective. It is advisable to ensure that the flowering is not too abundant and that the flowers do not break the shoots.
Planting fuchsia
There are many hybrid varieties that are quite frost-resistant, but for the most part fuchsias are heat-loving plants. In the garden, windless corners with sufficient lighting or slightly shaded are perfect for her. Prefers neutral, fertile soils.
Fuchsias are planted in open ground at the end of May - June. When planting, make sure that the root collar is buried no more than 20 cm. After rooting, the plants intensively gain strength and begin to bloom (about 2.5 weeks). Before being dug up for the winter, the plant must survive the first frost, thus undergoing some hardening before winter dormancy.
Botanical description
Fuchsia is a genus of woody perennials from the fireweed family, which includes about 100 species. Comes from the humid tropics and subtropics of Central and South America, Tahiti, New Zealand.
Appearance
In their homeland, fuchsias are mostly evergreens. In Russia they behave like deciduous perennial trees or shrubs.
The leaves of the crop are collected in whorls of 3-5 pieces or opposite. The length ranges from 1 to 25 cm, but usually within 4-5 cm. The plates are simple, pointed, with a finely toothed edge, elongated oval in shape. The color is green or reddish, there are variegated varieties.
Fuchsia shoots can be relatively flexible and thin, or rigid and erect. The vast majority of cultivars have untrimmed stems that are something in between. Over time, the branches become woody and covered with beige bark.
Bloom
Fuchsia buds form at the tips of the current year's shoots. Flowers consist of two parts, the color of which can be the same, different or differ in shade:
- The calyx is 4 lanceolate, with pointed tips of the lobes, fused at the base into a long tube. After the fuchsia buds have fully bloomed, they are located perpendicular to the petals or slightly cover the base of the corolla, but more often they are bent back to varying degrees. In the latter case, the sepals can be straight, curved, like a bow string, or even slightly twisted. Color: white, all shades of pink or red.
- The fuchsia corolla is often much shorter than the sepals, simple, with 4-5 petals, or terry, looking like a fluffy skirt. The color of the corolla can be white, different shades of pink, red, blue, light blue, violet. Sometimes the petals are painted with contrasting streaks or strokes.
Fuchsias can also be distinguished by their long anthers and pistil protruding beyond the corolla. In ampelous varieties, the buds are attached to a long drooping pedicel and range in size from 1 to 10 cm.
Under natural conditions, the crop is pollinated by hummingbirds. After fertilization, dark purple berries measuring 5-25 mm are set. In most species they are edible and taste like a mixture of citrus and black pepper.
Is it possible to plant fuchsia in open ground?
Fuchsia is grown as an outdoor flower not only in hanging baskets, stationary flowerpots, but also in flower beds. True, in all regions in the fall the bushes will have to be dug up from open ground and brought indoors.
Culture loves fresh air. If you choose the right planting location, fuchsia grows faster outdoors and blooms more profusely than at home.
Almost all species, varieties and hybrids feel better in the middle zone than in the south. In cool climates, bushes suffer less from heat in summer - despite the fact that the plant is tropical, it does not like high temperatures.
Most common varieties
Many modern varieties are characterized by bright color combinations.
Fuchsia Blue Vale
This is a universal variety; it can be grown either as a bush or as an ampel. The snow-white sepals of double, large flowers have a green tint along the edge. The flower's skirt is fluffy and lavender in color.
Flowering is long lasting and very abundant.
Fuchsia Bella Rosella
The plant has some of the largest flowers (10-12 cm). They are terry, bright, lilac-pink with snow-white stamens and pale pink sepals. Flowering is abundant and long lasting.
Fuchsia variety Bella Rosella has an ampelous and bush form. It is unpretentious and can grow in shade.
Variety Bella Rosella
Fuchsia Blue Angel
Blue Angel variety is an exquisite, memorable fuchsia. The flower size is up to 12 cm in diameter. The corolla (skirt) of the flower is double dark lilac in color, the sepals are white. When fully bloomed, white stamens with pink anthers become a spectacular accent. The bush is semi-ampelous (drooping).
Fuchsia Hollis Beauty
The flowers are large (7-8 cm), double, white sepals, lilac-blue skirt. The bush grows very neatly, has a compact shape, and branches well. The variety tolerates heat and bright sun better than other fuchsias.
The flower is elegant, contrasting, white-green sepals set off the purple-pink skirt. Especially good in full dissolution. Pink elongated stamens set off milky white anthers.
Important ! The growing form is ampelous; the lashes of an adult plant grow up to 60 cm in length.
Fuchsia Blue Ice
The plant was obtained as a result of the starting mutation of the Dark Eyes variety in 1954 in the United States of America. Large, double flowers are distinguished by a characteristic arrangement of petals. They resemble a multi-layered petticoat. The color of the petals is deep lavender, the sepals are light crimson. It is interesting that in plants of this variety, flower petals can vary in color intensity. The variety is undemanding; it is grown in bush and hanging forms. Grows quickly, restrictive pruning is recommended to form a dense crown. Feels good in partial shade.
Fuchsia Bicentennial
Fuchsia ampelous Bicentennial is painted in salmon-orange tones. The characteristic magenta strokes along the edge of the multi-layered skirt create an extraordinary color contrast. The flowers are elongated, rather large, in the form of buds. Light sepals become bright orange over time.
The variety was bred by Californian gardener Ted Pasquesen in 1976 and dedicated to the 200th anniversary of US independence. Paskesen carried out lengthy breeding work to obtain a variety that was resistant to heat and strong winds.
The plant forms a dense, branching crown and blooms profusely.
Variety Blue Mirage
Fuchsia Blue Mirage
The plant can be grown as a semi-mounted plant, in the form of a drooping bush and in hanging containers.
Blue Mirage is a large-flowered variety that blooms with deep purple flowers with snow-white sepals. The length of the shoots of the variety is up to 40 cm. Flowering is early, abundant, and long-lasting. The flowers are double and large.
The leaves are medium in size, the stems become woody quickly, so the variety is easy to grow in standard form. The variety is fast growing and winters well. Suitable for growing by beginning gardeners.
Fuchsia propagation
1. Seeds
- used if desired to experiment with selection. Plants grown from seeds may lose their parental varietal qualities, and there is more hassle. But if you decide to grow fuchsia from seeds, plant them in containers in March-April, lightly sprinkling them, or even better, use peat tablets for planting, which can then be immediately replanted without disturbing the root system of the plant. After planting, keep the containers at a temperature of 16-18 ° C; the seeds will germinate in about 3 weeks.
2.
Vegetatively
— as a rule, cuttings are used. To do this, choose slightly woody shoots that are rooted in water or a liquid substrate or sand. Roots will appear within 1-2 weeks. Bush and ampelous plants take cuttings every three years, thus renewing the plant. Three-leaved fuchsia is also propagated by cuttings, which results in abundant flowering.
Reproduction
For propagation, one of the possible methods is used: seed or vegetative. Old copies will have to be updated in any case, since after three years they lose their decorative effect. This applies to a greater extent to ampelous varieties, which become bare earlier than others.
Seeds
To get a specific variety, you will have to purchase seeds at a flower shop, since those collected from old plants will not give varietal characteristics. Growing seedlings is quite simple and can be easily done at home. First of all, pay attention to the variety being intended for growing in the garden.
Sowing is carried out at the end of March or beginning of April, after pre-treating the seeds with a weak solution of fungicide. Planting material can be sown in soaked peat tablets or in soil for growing seedlings. It is necessary to create greenhouse conditions, for which a film shelter is made. The temperature for normal germination of seedlings should not fall below 17°C.
After about three weeks, new shoots will appear. Their cultivation involves daily ventilation, removing condensation from the film and spraying with a spray bottle. As the seedlings grow, they are thinned out so that they do not interfere with each other's growth. The strongest and healthiest specimens should be left.
By cuttings
The most common method of propagating fuchsia. To do this, you will need to cut slightly woody shoots 10-15 cm long from an old bush. There should be no signs of disease or dark spots on the cuttings.
For rooting, the cuttings are placed in sand or water, having first removed the lower leaves. Sometimes peat tablets are used for rooting. The first roots appear after a couple of weeks, after which the branch begins to actively grow. During rooting, the cuttings are placed in a warm place with a temperature of about 18-20°C. When the roots grow to 3-5 cm, young specimens can be planted in a permanent place in the garden.
Storing fuchsia in winter
Usually, before the onset of real cold weather, plants are dug up, previously cut to half.
They are usually placed in a container, close to each other. Ensuring rest comes down to reducing watering to once a week and keeping the plants at a temperature not exceeding 10 ° C so that the fuchsia does not start to grow. After the leaves fall, the fuchsia can be removed to a dark room with watering once a month. My fuchsia overwintered in an unheated bathhouse in a container mixed with sand and earth in a tin bucket, covered with old cotton blankets. And she survived the winter! This indicates good endurance, but still it is not worth taking unnecessary risks; it is better to ensure constant temperature conditions.
Starting in March, we bring fuchsia back to life. To do this, we cut its shoots to 15 cm and replant them in a new nutrient soil mixture, increasing watering.
Reproduction methods
Like most plants, fuchsia reproduces in two main ways - vegetatively and seeds. It is better to take cuttings for propagation before pinching the plant.
Cuttings
Cuttings allow you to get a guaranteed result in a fairly short time. For cuttings, shoots and leaves with buds are used. Plants are kept at room temperature and watered regularly. The time for cuttings is the beginning of summer or the end of spring, but you can do this at any time except winter.
Why doesn't fuchsia bloom?
Why fuchsia doesn’t bloom, what to do, how to care for fuchsia
A healthy plant may refuse to bloom, and then you need to look for the reasons for this phenomenon. They may be different, but the root is the same - improper care. The main problems are as follows:
- the plant overwintered in a warm place;
- there are practically no useful substances left in the soil;
- very frequent watering;
- the pot is of the wrong size;
- there is very little light, the lack of which inhibits active growth and bud formation.
To ensure fuchsia flowering, these problems must be eliminated. If the wintering was warm, after it the shoots are severely pruned. If the pot is unsuitable, organize a flower transplant. The roots should not protrude from the pot and should not feel too open, otherwise the fuchsia will begin to form green shoots and will not bloom.
Diseases and pests
The flower has fairly good immunity, but there are hardly any pests that can cause problems for gardeners:
- Whitefly is a small insect that often infects plants located on balconies. The main symptom is a whitish coating on the leaves. When severely damaged, they turn yellow and fall off. You can cure it by washing it with soap and water, but this will only help if the fuchsia is still green. If the damage has progressed further, then only chemical treatment with special preparations will cope.
- Spider mites - attack the plant in dry and warm air. A sign of infection is yellowness on the leaf and a yellowish-gray coating on the underside. To prevent infection by this pest in hot weather, you should spray the plant regularly.
Other diseases are most often caused by improper care and inadequate nutrition. Thus, when the soil is excessively moistened, powdery mildew appears, and when manganese is deficient, leaf veins turn yellow.
Proper cultivation and care of fuchsia in the garden
Fuchsia belongs to the genus Fireweed perennial plants. It is an unpretentious flower that grows both at home and in the garden.
This plant is remembered for its spectacular flowering, unlike any other flower. Another name for fuchsia is “Japanese lantern”, as flower growers call it because of the unusual shape of the buds. Read more about growing and caring for beautiful and unpretentious fuchsia in our article.
Fuchsia seeds
Grains for planting can be purchased at a specialty store. Many gardeners prefer to select plants online and make payments upon receipt. The grains must be fresh. They should be selected depending on the type of fuchsia and personal preferences.
Beautiful fuchsia flower
Important! When a plant is propagated by seeds, the risk of loss of varietal characteristics increases. If the gardener has an adult fuchsia, then you can pollinate it artificially and collect boxes with grains in place of wilted inflorescences
Using several varieties for this procedure allows you to grow a plant with a unique color
If the gardener has an adult fuchsia, then you can pollinate it artificially and collect boxes with grains in place of wilted inflorescences. Using several varieties for this procedure allows you to grow a plant with a unique color.
What do fuchsia seeds look like?
Fuchsia seeds are obtained from the fruit that forms during flowering. They are light brown in color and small in size. The achenes are similar in shape to garlic cloves. Most often in the store you can find such varieties as Bella Rosella, Holiday, Foxtrot. Planting and care are carried out depending on the plant variety. The packaging usually contains step-by-step instructions on how to sow and care for seedlings.
Fuchsia seeds
Wintering fuchsia in open ground
Fuchsia Magellanica feels great under the snow, covered with spruce branches; for other species and resistant hybrids, it is still worth taking a number of necessary measures.
Before the onset of cold weather, we cut our beauty at ground level, sprinkle it with a layer of at least 20 cm of soil, cover it with spruce branches and isolate it from excess moisture, placing another film or roofing material on top. In mid-May, the plant begins to open. From mid-June, growth from the root collar will begin to appear, and only in August will fuchsia begin to bloom.
Many gardeners do it even simpler, rooting new cuttings every year without leaving the plants in the fall. In this case, the cuttings will show miracles of flowering all summer long.
How to plant - cuttings or seeds?
Fuchsia reproduces vegetatively and by seeds. In the first case, cuttings taken from a healthy plant are used. The optimal period is spring. For rooting, choose green shoots with 2-3 pairs of leaves. The length of the cutting is 10-15 cm. The shoot is cut with a sharp blade.
- The cuttings are dipped in a glass of boiled water and placed in a bright place.
- Leaves should not touch the water.
- After 7-10 days, roots appear.
- The cuttings are transplanted into a loose fuchsia substrate.
- The first week is kept under a glass jar, ventilated daily.
- Light nutritious soil is prepared for the seedlings: turf soil, peat, sand.
- The seeds are laid out on moist soil and pressed lightly. Planting time is March.
- Germination occurs in the light; the seeds should not go deeper into the soil when watered.
- The top of the container is covered with glass or film.
- Shoots appear after 30 days. The covering is removed.
- After 2 months, the seedlings are planted in separate pots.
Cuttings have several advantages over seed propagation:
- A fuchsia cutting inherits the properties of the mother plant, but the seeds do not.
- The rooted shoot blooms in the same year.
- Propagation by cuttings is less labor-intensive.
Find out how you can propagate fuchsia by leaf here.
Fuchsia on the balcony: cultivation and care
Fuchsia does not survive heat and lack of moisture in the air.
This causes the flowers to become small, and sometimes the buds do not open at all. The plant does not tolerate the scorching sun, although the morning rays benefit the flower. From noon until the evening, it is recommended to place the fuchsia in partial shade. Balconies on the east and north sides are best suited for the plant.
Flowerpots
Fuchsia on the balcony is placed in a flower pot so that it does not overheat under the scorching rays of the sun. To do this, you should use blinds or curtains. You can try placing the flower so that the sun hits the foliage and buds and does not affect the roots. To do this, hang it from the wall.
If there is a lack of light and heat, it is necessary to provide the plant with phytolamps or simple fluorescent lamps.
Fuchsia does not respond well to constant movement during flowering. The plant may simply drop all its buds.
Important! Fuchsia needs draft and ventilation.
Following actions
The basic rules of care are choosing the right location, watering and humidity. If a florist makes mistakes, the following signs indicate this:
- The leaves fall and the flowers wither - fuchsia does not receive enough moisture.
- The entire bush withers - there is an excess of moisture in the soil, the roots begin to rot.
- Brown spots appear on the foliage - regulation of the frequency of watering is required, as the soil becomes waterlogged.
Caring for the plant involves the mandatory application of organic fertilizers - mullein or low concentration humus, ash. During the formation of buds and during the flowering period, the application of instant fertilizers is required.
On a note. It is necessary to carry out high-quality pruning of fuchsia. To do this, dry or weakened shoots should be removed, and actively growing tops should be shortened by half.
Fuchsia transplant
It is recommended to transplant during the beginning of the growing season, that is, in the spring.
Before replanting, you need to inspect the roots for mold. The new pot should have dense walls and be spacious enough.
Attention! It is necessary to have drainage to avoid stagnation of water at the root system.
If we talk about transplanting from a home pot to a flowerbed in the spring, then you should wait until the end of May, when the threat of returning night frosts has completely passed. Fuchsia is transplanted into the garden along with a lump of earth using the transshipment method. In the first two weeks, do not feed, water moderately, and carefully observe how the plant takes root.
Possible problems
Plant damage can be divided into two groups. Some are caused by improper care, while others are caused by infection with fungi or bacteria.
Content errors
- Pale leaves, the appearance of yellow spots - lack of nutrients. A comprehensive mineral supplement is required.
- Falling leaves and buds means a violation of the watering regime, the soil is flooded or too dry. The same problem occurs when there is insufficient light.
- Short flowering - there are several reasons: lack of nutrition or moisture, high temperature.
Infectious diseases and pests
The most common disease of fuchsia is rust. The first sign of infection is brown spots on the back of the leaves. Rust spreads quickly; upon noticing the symptoms of the disease, the flower is isolated. Affected leaves are cut off and destroyed. The plant and soil are treated with Topaz.
Pests of indoor fuchsia are whiteflies and spider mites. The result of their vital activity is wilting and falling leaves. The insecticide “Aktara” or “Condifor” is used against whiteflies. Ticks are combated using Akarin and Fitoverm. 3 treatments will be required.
Errors in planting and growing affect the duration of flowering and the size of the buds. The light-loving shrub needs diffused lighting, an abundance of fresh air and moisture. In the summer, you need a place where the temperature will not exceed 20°. In hot weather, fuchsia sheds flowers and leaves.
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Garden species and varieties of fuchsia
Fuchsia hybrid
Hybrid fuchsia (F. x hybrida) is divided into upright bushes no more than 50 cm high and pyramidal (ampeloid) bushes. Fuchsia flowers are bright, large, with upward-curved cups, different in color from the petals of the flower itself. This gives the flower a special zest. The calyxes can be red, white or pink. The petals of a flower can be red, pink, purple, white.
Varieties of this hybrid are divided into groups:
Diamonds and Sapphires
In this group, the colors combine white and blue, and blue can be represented by purple shades, to bright blue. This contrast is attracting more and more attention from gardeners (varieties Dark Secret, Capri, Ultramarine).
Australian fuchsias
All varieties of this group are very tall, with large, bright flowers. In the second year of development they reach the peak of their decorativeness. Popular varieties: Matilda, Walsing.
Terry exotic
The name itself contains the characteristics of the flowers of this group. Plants vary in color. The flowers are double, small or medium. Popular varieties: Sarah Jane, Florentina, etc.
Fuchsia Royal Mosaic
It is also worth mentioning fuchsias for containers. They are planted in summer and in open ground. Varieties: Anita, Carolina.
Ampelous fuchsias are good on balconies and in hanging baskets, extraordinary flowerpots. The most famous varieties are Cascade and Alice Ashton, but the choice is not limited to them.
In order not to get lost in the variety of colors of fuchsias, plants were classified according to the color of flowers and leaves: one tone, speckled, striped, two-colored.
For example, a group of solid solid colors Dark Secret:
1. Orange (Tangerine Torment)
2. White (Snow in Summer)
3. Tricolor (Silver Dreamers)
Variegated varieties
Characterized by extraordinary multi-colored foliage. Particular decorativeness is achieved by pinching the buds (Tom West variety and many others).
Winter-hardy fuchsias are ideal for the middle zone. They are not afraid of frost and winter well under snow with or without shelter. The most common varieties: Bacon, Garden News, Constance.
Fuchsia variety Bacon
Fuchsia trifolia
Fuchsia triphylla (F. triphylla) is a subshrub up to 50 cm high. The flowers are small, densely coral in color, collected in a small short raceme. The leaves are greenish-red, quite large. Suitable for planting in the ground due to its endurance. But it is rarely planted in the ground; it is usually used in a container version. Varieties: Orient, Express.
Try fuchsia not only at home, but also as a wonderful hanging and garden plant! Its dense, abundant blooms look great in the garden. And if you already have experience growing fuchsia in open ground, share with us
