Fuchsias in hanging baskets

If a spot is too shady for petunias and too bright for begonias, this is the plant. It is also the one most often bought in the wrong form.

Trailing versus upright

The distinction that decides everything, and the labels do not always make it obvious.

Trailing fuchsias have lax stems that spill over a rim and hang. These are basket plants.

Upright or bush fuchsias grow as a shrub. They are excellent plants and they sit in a basket looking like a small bush in a bowl.

Look for trailing, cascading or basket in the variety description - and if in doubt, look at the plant, because a trailing type is already flopping in its pot.

Why they suit baskets so well

Three reasons. They flower continuously from early summer to the first frosts rather than in flushes. The flowers hang downward, which is exactly right when the display is above eye level. And they tolerate part shade better than almost any other flowering basket plant.

That last point is what makes them so useful in a British garden, where a great many walls face north or east - the flowers guide covers matching plants to position.

Position

Part shade is ideal. Morning sun with afternoon shade suits them better than anything else, and the brackets range covers getting a basket onto a shadier wall.

They will grow in full sun in a cool summer but suffer in a hot one - flowers drop, leaves scorch, and the plant sulks. In deep shade they flower less but still perform better than most alternatives.

Pinch out early

The single thing that most improves a fuchsia basket, and it feels wrong to do.

When a young plant has three or four pairs of leaves, pinch out the growing tip. The plant responds by branching from lower down, and you get a bushy plant with many more flowering stems instead of a few long bare ones.

Do it again on the resulting shoots if you have time. It delays the first flowers by a couple of weeks and roughly doubles the eventual display.

Water consistently

Fuchsias dislike drying out hard and then being soaked. It causes bud drop, which is the specific and infuriating problem where flower buds fall off before opening.

Consistent moisture is what they want - daily in summer, checked by weight rather than by habit, and the watering range covers reaching a high basket - the care and watering guide covers the routine.

Feed from six weeks

Like all heavy-flowering basket plants, they exhaust the compost. A high-potash liquid feed every week or two from about six weeks after planting keeps the flowers coming.

High-nitrogen feed gives you a large green plant and disappointing flowering - the compost and feed guide covers what to use.

Deadheading and the seed pods

Fuchsias set small berry-like seed pods after flowering, and leaving them on slows the plant considerably.

Pinch off the whole spent flower including the little pod behind it. This matters more with fuchsias than with most basket plants, because the pods are easy to miss and they persist - the hanging plants guide covers upkeep across the season.

Bud drop, and what causes it

The most common fuchsia complaint. Buds form, then fall off unopened.

The usual causes are inconsistent watering, sudden heat, or the plant being moved and disturbed. All three amount to stress. Steady watering and a position out of hot afternoon sun deal with most of it - the watering range covers the kit that makes steady watering easy.

Hardy versus tender

Worth knowing before winter arrives.

Tender fuchsias, which most trailing basket varieties are, will not survive a frost outdoors.

Hardy fuchsias survive outside in much of the UK but are generally upright shrubs rather than trailers.

So a basket fuchsia is usually a tender one, and treating it as an annual is entirely reasonable.

Overwintering, if you want to

Possible and a bit of work. Before the first frost, cut the plant back hard, let the compost go nearly dry, and keep it somewhere frost-free and light but cool - a garage window or a cool greenhouse.

Water sparingly through winter, then start watering and feeding again in spring as growth resumes. Plenty of people do this successfully; plenty of others buy new plants each year and think no less of themselves.

How many in a basket

Three trailing fuchsias will fill a 35cm basket well on their own, or one in the centre with trailers around it if you are mixing - the basket range covers the sizes.

They are generous plants, so resist overfilling - the planting guide covers quantities by size.

Combining them

Fuchsias sit well with lobelia, bacopa and trailing ivy - all of which tolerate the same part-shade conditions, and the trailing plants guide covers the choices.

Avoid pairing them with full-sun plants, since one or the other will be in the wrong place whatever you do.

Where the plants come from

Fuchsias are a nursery or garden centre purchase. We sell the baskets, liners, brackets and watering kit they need - and for a spot too dark or exposed even for fuchsias, the artificial flowering range covers the alternative.

The short version

• Buy trailing or cascading varieties - upright fuchsias look like a bush in a bowl.
• They tolerate part shade better than almost any other flowering basket plant.
• Pinch out the growing tip early; it delays flowers a fortnight and doubles the display.
• Bud drop comes from inconsistent watering, sudden heat or disturbance.
• Remove the seed pod behind each spent flower, not just the flower itself.

Frequently asked questions

Are fuchsias good for hanging baskets?

Among the best, provided you buy trailing varieties. They flower continuously to the first frosts, the flowers hang downward which suits a display above eye level, and they tolerate part shade well.

What is the difference between trailing and upright fuchsias?

Trailing varieties have lax stems that spill over a rim and hang, which is what a basket needs. Upright or bush types grow as a shrub and sit in a basket looking like a small bush in a bowl.

Why are my fuchsia buds falling off?

Bud drop is usually caused by inconsistent watering, sudden heat, or the plant being moved and disturbed - all forms of stress. Steady watering and a spot out of hot afternoon sun deal with most of it.

Should I pinch out fuchsias?

Yes, and it is the single best thing you can do. Pinch the growing tip when a young plant has three or four pairs of leaves, and it branches from lower down into a much bushier, better-flowering plant.

Can I keep a basket fuchsia over winter?

Most trailing basket varieties are tender and will not survive frost outdoors. You can overwinter them by cutting back hard, keeping the compost nearly dry and storing somewhere frost-free, light and cool.