Forget hanging baskets — hardy fuchsias bloom like crazy

Their flowers keep reappearing until the frosts of October. Then they’ll come back and do it again next year.

Fuchsias — what does that name conjure up for you? When I think of fuchsias, I usually see a beautiful hanging basket dripping with delicately formed blossoms of pinks, reds, purples and whites.

When I purchased my nursery in 1989, fuchsias baskets were very much in their heyday and we grew hundreds of them. But interest has waned over the years, probably in part due to their high-maintenance nature.

Now, the trend is toward hardy fuchsias that can be planted in the ground and treated like any other shade-loving perennial.

There are literally hundreds of varieties of fuchsias that are hardy in our Northwest gardens. By “hardy,” I mean that with minimal protection they will go dormant in the winter and regrow the following spring, just like hostas, asters and daisies do, year after year after year. And what is so great about hardy fuchsias is that, unlike most perennials that only bloom for 5 to 6 weeks, once fuchsias start blooming, they will continue until frost in late October. They are a blooming machine!

Hardy fuchsias look just like their trailing cousins, only the flowers are usually smaller and the plants form small bushes that grow 2 to 3 feet tall and as wide. The color range is not quite as exotic as the basket forms, but there is still a good selection of varieties to chose from. I personally prefer the smaller and dainty flowers of the hardy varieties; they remind me of some of my wife’s earrings.

Like basket varieties, upright hardy fuchsias prefer a lightly shaded area — too much shade or too much sun will result in poor performance. Evenly moist soil is essential and moderate fertilizing is beneficial. Since flowers come on the new growth (like a rose), some light pruning during the season will continue to stimulate new growth. Removing spent flowers and seed pods will also prolong the bloom season.

Hardy fuchsias are a perfect addition to a shade bed or container, and they combine well with astilbe, hosta, ferns or just about any plants that thrives in some filtered shade. I have several planted in my shade beds and even some in sunnier areas where, with adequate water, they seem to do just fine.

At the end of the season, I will cut them halfway back to the ground and then in March or April, after I see what is starting to grow, I will cut off the rest of last year’s growth. After adding a little fertilizer and mulch, I’m ready for another season of non-stop blooms from these easy-to-grow plants.

Late June and early July is the perfect time to shop for hardy fuchsias. Nurseries are well stocked right now with a variety of flavors in full bloom (at last count I saw about two dozen different varieties on our benches), so you can see firsthand what the flowers really look like. If you follow good horticultural practices, you should have 100% success transplanting them, and in just a few short years your fuchsia will be three times the size it is at planting.

If you have a shady bed that needs a pop of color to compliment the ferns, hostas, astilbes and such, then plunk in a few hardy fuchsias. You won’t be sorry, and the hummingbirds will thank you as well.

Stay safe, and keep on gardening!

Steve Smith is the owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at sunnysidenursery@msn.com.

Succulent secrets

Sunnyside Nursery’s free gardening classes are online for now. A “Fun with Succulents” class is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 10 via Zoom. With registration, you’ll receive a Zoom link to attend the online class. For more information or to sign up, visit www.sunnysidenursery.net/classes.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.