Story by Debra Smith
Herald Writer
Photos by Michael Martina
Herald Photographer
T hink of fuchsias and for most the imagination doesn’t travel farther than a Mother’s Day hanging basket.
| Resources
Greater Seattle Fuchsia Society Meets second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church of Christ, NW 65th and 12th NW, Seattle. Contact: President Walt North at 206-365-5416 Pilchuck Fuchsia &Geranium Society Contact: President Kevin Jones at 360-629-4827. Sno-King Fuchsia Society Meets first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Good Shepherd Church, 6915 196th St. SW, Lynnwood. Contact: President Debra Burgess at 425-335-3676. For plant lists and additional growing information, visit the Northwest Fuchsia Society Web site, www.nwfuchsiasociety.com. Their annual plant sale is April 1 at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Fuchsia test gardens Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St., Bellevue. Guided tours, 36 acres of display gardens, free admission, guided tours. Call 425-452-2750. Center for Urban Horticulture, 3541 NE 41st St., Seattle. Grounds open year-round to the public during daylight hours. Free. Call 206-543-8616. Jennings Park, 6915 Armar Road, Marysville. Smaller scale fuchsia garden. Free. |
That’s a shame because many of these beauties can be easily grown in Northwest gardens year-round and not just in hanging baskets.
Many of the earliest species of fuchsias developed in the cool, moist breezes along the western coasts of Central and South America. The local climate makes the Northwest an ideal location to grow fuchsias.
And what forms, what color they can bring to a landscape.
Fuchsias are the graceful ladies of the garden, with their ballroom gown blooms in white, pink, red, magenta and purple.
Fuchsia species include 40-foot-tall trees, shrubs, climbers and ground covers, as well as the more familiar trailing and upright varieties.
Grow F.regia reitzii over a trellis. Plant a hardy fuchsia next to a spring-blooming shrub to fill in fading foliage. Combine plants with the same soil pH, watering and fertilizing needs.
Recently some growers have begun practicing the ancient art of bonsai on fuchsias, shaping them to resemble wizened old trees and other forms.
One of the first in the world to try bonsai on fuchsias is Madeleine “Frankie” Dennison of Kenmore.
Dennison, 72, is a master fuchsia grower who tends 140 varieties of the plant on her half-acre yard. Thousands of varieties of the plant are available.
“And I can’t possibly get them all in my yard as much as I want to,” she said.
She was introduced to the plant when her son gave her a fuchsia-filled hanging basket as a Mother’s Day gift.
Her relationship with the plant didn’t end there. She joined the Greater Seattle Fuchsia Society and soon she was testing new varieties and speaking to gardening groups.
“I just thoroughly enjoy them,” she said of her favorite plant.
She got the idea to try bonsai on fuchsias after the hanging basket her son gave her developed a thick, beautiful stem that resembled a tree trunk. Dennison has since coaxed fuchsias into decorative forms such as living rings and the more familiar forms that resemble dwarf trees.
She starts with tried and true hardy fuchsias varieties such as Tom Thumb, Lady Thumb or Little Giant. She chooses varieties that grow slowly. “A plant that grows six feet tall in one season may not make a suitable bonsai,” she warned.
Growers can start with a young plant or use an older plant that is no longer growing well in a basket or box. Then standard bonsai techniques are used to train the tree into shape.
Unlike hardy fuchsias planted in the ground, bonsai fuchsias need to be kept green year-round and sheltered in the winter, Dennison said. She keeps hers in a greenhouse.
Her expertise led British fuchsia growers to invite her to speak at an international convention in September at Worcestershire, England. She plans to talk about growing fuchsias in the Northwest and how to bonsai fuchsias – something the British don’t do.
“They think it’s mutilating the plant,” she said.
The Brits’ love for this plant dates back centuries. Explorers brought samples back to Europe and fuchsias quickly became a must-have for English aristocrats. Many of the modern varieties were developed in Great Britain.
Although the English are still the world leaders in fuchsia breeding and growing, a strong local community of growers can provide advice and support for gardeners. Local fuchsia groups include Pilchuck, Sno-King and Greater Seattle societies.
Now is the best time to see examples of these beauties at their peak and get ideas for next year’s garden.
The best public places to visit fuchsias in this area include the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle and the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, Dennison said. Locally, the Pilchuck society maintains a smaller-scale fuchsia garden at Jennings Park in Marysville.
The ideal time to plant fuchsias is in the spring. The plants need enough time to root deeply before the frost in the fall.
But gardeners can take advantage of clearance sales at nurseries and plant now with extra care.
Dig the hole twice as deep as planting instructions call for and fill most of the way with soil around the plant. Water regularly and the hole will fill in gradually by fall, Dennison said. If planting now, mulch well the first year with bark or leaves.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@ heraldnet.com.
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