How to Grow Fuchia

Fuchsia, native to South America and New Zealand, can be a bit particular about its environment, sometimes requiring more attention than the average flowering plant. However, with its elegant cascade of rich foliage, just dripping with an abundance of colorful and delicate blooms, the exotic beauty of this popular decorative plant makes growing Fuchsia well worth the time and effort involved. Fuchsia is available in hundreds of varieties, ranging from those with miniature flowers to plants with large ones, those with single blooms to many that produce double ones. Fuchsia varieties bloom in any number of color combinations, including shades of red, pink, rose, magenta, white, blue, purple, and orange. Fuchsia is commonly found in hanging baskets these days, lending color to porches and patios, but hardy Fuchsias are also wonderful plants in the garden, grown as a shrub or trained into a tree form called a standard.

Things You'll Need

• Fuchsia
• Sharp knife
• Rooting harmone
• Small pots
• Organic material

Instructions

1. Propagating Fuchsia is relatively easily done with cuttings. These should be taken from the new, spring growth of an established Fuchsia plant. Cuttings of about three to four inches long are ideal. Use a sharp knife to cut the stem just below a leaf node. Be careful not to bruise the stem, as this can prevent your cutting from developing roots. Apply some rooting hormone, then place your cuttings in a light, well drained rooting medium, such as a mixture of sand and leaf mold, and keep them moist. Once roots have developed, fuchsia cuttings should be transplanted into small pots, using a well drained loamy potting medium enhanced with organic material.

2. Starting Fuchsia from seed is another option, either harvested from an established plant or purchased commercially. Fresh seeds tend to germinate more easily than dried ones, but your end result may be different in variety and color than the parent plant. Fuchsia plants produce seeds, which are contained within the berries that appear on the plant after it flowers. To harvest seeds, these berries can be removed once they have ripened, sliced open, and the jelly-like substance within scraped out. Then, fill small pots with a light, well drained potting medium, place seeds on top, and cover with a scant amount of the soil, and keep moist but not soaking wet. Watering with a gentle mist is best. Germination can occur within a few days in some cases, but may take several weeks in others.

3. Whether propagated at home or purchased at the local garden center or nursery, young Fuchsia plants prefer indirect sunlight. Ideally, Fuchsia should be planted in a location that receives sun in the morning and late day, but is sheltered from the hottest, midday sun. Fuchsia prefers well dug, well drained soil with plenty of organic material, such as compost or bone meal. If planted directly in the ground, the root ball of the plant should be placed around two inches beneath the surface to provide some protection from frost over the winter. Fuchsia will wilt if allowed to dry out terribly, and often will not recover well, so keep it moist. However, soggy soil can be as bad for he plant as overly dry conditions, so be sure to avoid over watering.