How to grow fuchsias and the best varieties

Fuchsias are best known as tender plants for summer patio pots and baskets, but there are also hardy varieties that can grow in borders outdoors all year round.

There are both upright and trailing forms – and hundreds of varieties. They can't go outside until the danger of the frost has passed in mid to late May, so you'll need a frost-free place, such as a greenhouse, to raise them.

Which? Gardening magazine grew a range of popular varieties to find out which are the best.

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Key facts

• Plant type - Half-hardy or hardy shrub
• Position - Sun or partial shade
• Soil - Use a Best Buy compost for containers

How to grow fuchsias: month by month

Planting tender fuchsias

Plant your tender fuchsias in a Best Buy compost for containers mixed with a Best Buy controlled-release fertiliser. Put three plants in a 40cm hanging basket. Water in, then keep the compost moist but not waterlogged. Put the basket outside once the danger of frost has passed, in mid to late May. Although fuchsias will tolerate sun, they prefer partial shade, especially during the hottest parts of the day in summer.

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Planting hardy fuchsias

Hardy fuchsias should be planted outside in late spring or early summer, so they establish well before the first frosts. It’s best to grow on plugs or small plants in a Best Buy compost for raising young plants so that the roots fill a pot of at least 9cm diameter before you do this. 

When it comes to planting out, put them in slightly deeper (1.5-2.5cm) than the soil line of the pot, as this will help to protect them from the cold in winter. Fuchsias need a spot in sun or partial shade, and soil that is well drained but doesn’t dry out too readily in summer.

Best fuchsia varieties

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Full testing results for fuchsias

Fuchsias for baskets

Fuchsias for pots

Hardy fuchsias

How we test fuchsias

We grew a number of hardy varieties at both our Which? Gardening magazine trial garden at Capel Manor College, north London, where the soil is well drained and rainfall relatively light, and in Greenbank Garden, Glasgow, where the soil is heavy clay, rainfall is heavy and winters are consistently colder than in the south. We grew them for two years.

For the tender fuchsias, we grew a number of varieties in hanging baskets at Capel Manor and assessed them over summer.

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Caring for your fuchsias

Pinching out

If your young plants are leggy, pinch out the growing tips after two or three pairs of leaves have formed. This will stimulate sideshoots to grow.

Deadheading

Remove the flowers as they fade to encourage the plant to produce more.

Feeding

Feed with a Best Buy tomato feed from the end of summer, or earlier if the leaves on your fuchsia become pale.

How to take fuchsia cuttings

It’s very easy to take cuttings from fuchsias. Using clean secateurs, cut the stem to just above the point where a leaf joins the stem, to take a cutting that's 5-10cm long. Trim it to just under the point where the leaf joins the stem. Remove the lower leaves, so you have just one pair of leaves at the top. Try to take cuttings from stems that haven’t developed buds; if there are buds already, then remove them. Place the cuttings in pots of Best Buy compost for raising young plants. You can overwinter your cuttings on a bright windowsill or in a greenhouse that stays above 7°C.

Overwintering tender fuchsias

The majority of trailing fuchsias are tender, so if you want to overwinter them, they need to be kept in a frost-free space with plenty of light, such as a heated greenhouse. It’s best to take cuttings as insurance, too.

Read our guide on how to buy the best greenhouse

Overwintering hardy fuchsias

A mulch of straw or well-rotted compost around the base of the plant in late autumn may help it survive winter. Leaving woody growth on the plant over winter will offer frost protection, too. 

When to prune fuchsias

When the plant starts to regrow in spring, it's time to cut fuchsias to around 10-15cm above ground level to encourage new growth.

Make your own compost with a best compost bin

Common fuchsia-growing problems

Rust

The first signs of this disease are yellowing leaves, with red pustules on the undersides. To treat it, remove affected leaves or spray with a suitable fungicide. Remember, fuchsias can be damaged by fungicide, so test by only spraying a few leaves first.

Fuchsia gall mite

This is a microscopic mite and because you can barely see it, the first sign you'll get of its presence is the damage it causes – this is a reddening of the leaves and particularly the shoot tips. The mites feed on leaves and flowers, causing them to become grossly distorted. They look pale green and felt-like at first, then reddening with age, and the plant will soon stop growing.

Unfortunately, it's very hard to control fuchsia gall mite as the mites hide within the distorted parts of the plant. The best way is to destroy the affected plant by digging it up and burning it, then starting all over again with fresh plants.

If you're loath to lose the plant, you could try cutting off all the green material and burning that. Hopefully the new growth will be clean.

Greenfly

Squash any greenfly that appear on your plants before they can weaken growth by sucking the sap.