Go Hardy!

Day 305: For all the fuss and bother that annual fuchsias are, I can't imagine why everyone doesn't grow the hardy varieties instead. Many of them have blossoms which are as large as those of the annuals, and they are available in just as many colour combinations and a wide assortment of flower forms. Some types are hardy to -20°, so even if you are in Zone 5, there will be a hardy fuchsia for you. While these plants can grow into a sizeable bush, they are easily maintained at a more manageable size by pruning out older wood. Most flower on both new wood and old. Except for "Riccartoni" (not pictured), I keep mine cut back to roughly 18" in height. They never fail to put on a floriferous gala as summer begins to wind down. Go hardy! You won't regret it.

Hardy Beauty

Day 292: Given the wide variety of hardy Fuchsias available, I find it hard to imagine why anyone with garden space would bother with the annuals. Even with winter temperatures here dropping into single digits almost every year, all but one of mine have survived with no mulching or additional protection. While the types with smaller, slender flowers are what most people think of when you say "hardy Fuchsia" (assuming that they don't respond immediately with, "There's no such thing!"), the large-flowered cultivars offer a range of colour combinations equal to that of their annual cousins. That said, hardiness and hue seem to be linked (at least in my observations), with the lighter shades being somewhat more tender than the good old pink-and-purple sort such as "Army Nurse" (bottom) and "Riccartonii" (top). If left to their own designs, many varieties can attain the size of a small shrub. I keep mine pruned to manageable dimensions. They flower on both new and old wood, so pruning is simply a matter of taking out stems which have become too leggy or woody. Spare your budget! Chuck the annuals and plant some hardy Fuchsias in your garden next year.

Fuchsia Parade

Day 297: It began with Genii (left), the only type of hardy fuchsia I knew about at the time. Then as I was browsing the internet for horticultural information on it, I discovered that there were other hardy fuchsias, some with flowers to rival the annual varieties common to hanging baskets. Typical of rabbit-holes, the ground beneath my feet slid away and down I went into a wonderland of perennials I had never suspected of existing. Today, my garden holds half a dozen of these eminently gratifying plants, making me wish I had room for more. Not only are different flower forms and colours available, there are foliage options as well. Genii's leaves are golden-green, while those of Army Nurse (center) are a middle hue. If darker foliage is to your liking, the rich hunter-green headlines the fat pink and purple flowers of Garden News (right). Not shown, Erecta carries its flowers pointing upward as its name implies, Dollar Princess wears a slightly rosier skirt than Army Nurse, and Ricartonii's flowers are even more slender than those of Genii. Genii and Ricartonii also form edible fruits which, although rather bland, would lend an interesting flavour to an apple jelly. Might have to try that this year!

Fuchsia Fantasy

Day 316: These are just a few of my hardy fuchsias. Yes, you heard that right: hardy. These are not the delicate annuals which die down at the first hint of winter. In fact, I selected these particular varieties because they are capable of withstanding temperatures of 0° F. or lower. The stems are woody and tough, and even though the first signs of growth in spring usually emerge at ground level, leaves will emerge on the hardened wood later in the season, followed by a dazzling display of flowers. Although to many people, the phrase "hardy fuchsia" brings to mind smaller flowers, many varieties bear blooms equally as large and showy as those of the annuals and are available in a wide range of colour combinations. Most varieties tend toward shrubbiness, but pruning will keep them from getting out of hand. Shown here are Erecta with its unusual upward-facing corolla, Army Nurse brilliant in rich purple and red, the plump two-toned pink Garden News, and the familiar traditional Genii.

Hardy Fuchsias For The Perennial Garden

Day 297: You can't beat hardy Fuchsias for putting on a show in the garden! Like their annual cousins, they are prolific bloomers and attract hummingbirds by the dozen. Their growth habit is shrubby, woody stems rising three feet or more from ground level in some cases, with blossoms more widely spaced on the stalks than those of the annual varieties. They are deciduous, losing their leaves in the fall (a factor which makes them undesirable to some people), but in the spring, new shoots emerge from the soil, and will be followed somewhat later by the emergence of leaves on the old stems if they haven't been pruned back. I prefer to let mine sprawl until they start to look weedy. Then an autumn "haircut" puts them back in order. A wide variety of colour combinations are available, but pay attention to the hardiness rating and plant according to your zone. As a general rule, the lighter the colour, the less hardy the plant. From left to right, top to bottom: Army Nurse, Erecta (hardy in Zone 7 with some protection), Dollar Princess, Genii and Riccartonii. Both the small-flowered varieties shown here produce an edible oblong purple berry which can be added to fruit salads for visual interest, although the taste is rather bland if eaten directly from the plant.

Fuchsia Fantasy

Day 319: Until a few years ago, the only "hardy fuchsia" I had ever seen was a small-flowered, shrubby variety, fairly common in Pacific Northwest yards. In the interest of keeping my hummingbirds amused, I set about trying to find a commercial supplier and thus discovered that quite a few of the "hardies" bear flowers equal in size to those of the annuals seen in hanging baskets. Over time, I accumulated five varieties: (top to bottom, left to right) Army Nurse, Dollar Princess, Genii, Erecta and Riccartonii. My choices were governed by the degree of hardiness which varies by species; all of these can withstand winter temperatures of 0° or lower. Of the five, pink Erecta has proved to be the most susceptible to cold. It died back and did not sprout foliage on the old wood as the others did, but re-emerged rather late from the ground. This summer, I was surprised at seeing fuchsia berries on two plants. The fruits are reported to be edible but not particularly desirable unless you are growing one of the varieties specifically developed for taste. In that case it is said that they make a delicious jelly. Testing is in order, yes.