Can anyone recommend a really spectacular fuschia For my Japanese style front garden? And when to plant it. I have one "standard" red and yellow plant which I am about to prune as usual.
must it be hardy, or can it be a plant which can be dug up in winter? Unfortunately the most spectacular are the most tender. Fuchsia fulgens is fairly hardy I imagine it would do fine in Weymouth Some of the more hardy hybrids are pretty spectacular like the blue eyes fuchsias. One of the most spectacular fuchsias is Fuchsia denticulata but it is not hardy, and would either be an expensive annual or a greenhouse overwintering job.
If you want something a wee bit different from the run of the mill, Fuschia 'Thalia' with its long, tubular, red-orange-pinky -colour flowers might fit into a japanese garden better than most, but it's tender so a nice moveable container might be the order of the day.
F.denticulata is a beaut! As is also F.boliviana.... Triphylla Fuchsia plugs will be available soon for very little money in the garden centres - easy to grow on indoors and plant out after the frosts have passed, but obviously not hardy. Does it have to be Fuchsia? There are some rather stunning Phygelius (Cape Fuchsia) hybrids around that are hardy and would maybe fit in with the Japanese theme.
Phygelias are actually quite tender (by Gardeners world standards), rated only hardy to -12C (USDA zone 8), but they are an evergreen flowering shrub so no surprises. Still Phygelias would suit a Japanese Garden probably more than a Fuchsia like you say LK. Also Calibrachoa million bells stick out very well if grown on a pot.
Thanks everyone. I will investigate. It would have to be hardy as I plan to plant it in the ground. But climate down here in coastal Dorset is pretty mild. mike
I grow Phygelias. They seem hardy. However, you have to keep on top of the pruning otherwise they look a bit "tatty".
Can anyone recommend a really spectacular fuschia For my Japanese style front garden? And when to plant it. I have one "standard" red and yellow plant which I am about to prune as usual. Mike just spotted this, when you say spectacular,are you looking for tall/compact plants,single or double flowered fuchsias,hardy does limit your choice a little. One triphylla type you could try is Fulgans speciosa,its hardy in your area,though id have thought a little tall for a chinese garden,a very lovely,unusual compact fuchsia perfect for say the edge of a rockery is Procumbens,very unusual small flowers,and has large seed pods. Another choice for similar is the charming Lottie Hobby small red flowers. Medium height id go for the white single flowered Jim Watts,or double flowered Prosperity (red and Pink) Tall id go for the white single flowered White Knights Pearl,allways gives a good show. Im sure if you google these names youll get a good idea. Howard
Fuchsia Prosperity,in my front border,last year and the year before was under 2 foot of snow, and minus 8 but appeard again in spring.
how about this one Mike,tallest one in the picture,Magellenica riccartonii,grows taller than my missus,and very hardy.If youd prefer the white version,same family,Magellenica alba,though this one isent as free flowering as riccartonii
Thanks to all for their suggestions, but I have succumbed to an offer from Thompson and Morgan for 5 large plugs of mixed giant fuschias at under £3. They also enclosed a £5 voucher, which cancelled out the purchase price so I only have to pay for p@p.
Not so important at that money is that they are described as half hardy. More to the point though is that they're trailing Fuchsia, so not really much cop in the ground (better suited to hanging baskets).
