How to Grow Fuchsia

Fabulously colorful, exotic fuchsia is wonderful for brightening sunny or slightly shady areas, such as a porch or deck. In warm climates - USDA zones 9 to 11 - fuchsia grows as a temporary shrub. Elsewhere, it grows 1 to 2 feet tall and is treated as an annual (grows just one year). It's popular in hanging baskets and containers.

Things You'll Need

• Fertilizer Analyzer
• Bypass Pruners
• Compost Makers
• Fertilizers
• Hand Cultivators
• Mulch
• Plants

Instructions

1. Buy healthy, green plants with no signs of wilting or disease.

2. 

   Plant in spring in neutral to acidic soil (soil with a low pH). If your soil is too alkaline, work in a little garden sulfur.

3. 

   Keep soil evenly moist. Mulching is a good idea.

4. Trim faded flowers to promote longer bloom.

5. 

   Fertilize every four to six weeks or work in a slow-release fertilizer (or plenty of compost) at planting time.

6. Tear out and discard plants in fall, after frost fells them, or when they become ragged-looking.

Tips & Warnings

• Work polymer crystals into the soil of any container holding fuchsia. These crystals act like tiny sponges, retaining water and keeping fuchsia moist longer.

• Keep fuchsia from drying out - it wilts severely and doesn't recover well.