Ornamental · Onagraceae
Fuchsia
Fuchsia × hybrida
Hand it cool shade and steady moisture, and the fuchsia keeps dangling its two-tone flowers all season long.
Partial shade
Every 2–4 days
59–70°F · 15–21°C
USDA 10–11
Overview
Not many plants put on a flower show like a fuchsia hitting its stride. The dangling blooms, often painted in two contrasting colors, hang off the stems like tiny eardrops, which is exactly where the old name lady's eardrops came from. Most garden fuchsias you'll meet are hybrids grown for that display, whether trained upright or allowed to cascade from a hanging basket.
At heart, this is a shade lover. Fuchsias really shine in cool, partly shaded corners and go grumpy in the heat, so they reward anyone who can hand them a sheltered spot away from the harsh afternoon sun. Look after them and they'll flower from spring all the way through fall.
Most people treat fuchsia as an annual or bring it under cover for the cold months, though the hardy kinds can stay in the ground wherever winters run mild. Whichever route you take, this plant drinks a lot and feeds a lot, and it pays you back with months of flowers.
Care
The short version: cool part to full shade, soil kept evenly moist and never bone dry, a balanced feed every two weeks through the growing season, and shelter from hot afternoon sun and wind.
Light
Hand a fuchsia part to full shade, and the cooler the better. It's happy in bright indirect light too, but hot afternoon sun burns the leaves and halts the flowers, so what you really want is a sheltered, shaded corner.
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist and never let it dry out, because fuchsias wilt in a hurry when they're thirsty. Anything in a container or hanging basket dries out fast and needs watering often, plus a break from drying wind. Come fall, ease back on the water to nudge the plant toward dormancy.
Soil
Set it in rich, moisture-retentive loam with plenty of organic matter mixed through. A slightly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5 is what they like, and soil that stays damp without going soggy keeps the roots content.
Temperature
Fuchsias want things cool, ideally 59°F to 70°F (15°C to 21°C). Once the average daily temperature climbs past 76°F (24°C) the flowers quit, so summer heat is the big thing working against them.
Humidity
These plants prefer the air a touch damp, somewhere around 50% to 70% humidity. Dry air stresses them out and rolls out the welcome mat for spider mites, so a sheltered, slightly humid spot beats an open, sun-baked one.
Feeding
Fuchsias are heavy feeders. Hand them a soluble, balanced complete fertilizer every two weeks all through the growing season to keep that steady stream of flowers coming.
Pruning
Pinch out new shoots after they've made two full sets of leaves to get the plant branching and bushing out, then quit pinching about a month ahead of the first frost. For the hardy kinds, cut them back in mid-March once the freeze risk has passed.
Repotting
Shift potted fuchsias into fresh mix every spring. Roots winding around the pot, soil that dries out almost the moment you water, and growth that stalls out are all signs the plant has outgrown its home.
Size & spacing
Most reach 1.5 to 3 feet (46 to 91 cm) tall and spread 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm) across. Leave each one enough elbow room for air to flow around the leaves, which helps keep rust and mildew away.
When to plant
Fuchsias go by cool weather, not by what the calendar calls summer. Get cuttings going indoors in early spring, move plants outside after the last frost once nights stay above freezing, and you'll have flowers from spring through fall, with a quiet stretch when midsummer heat arrives.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Cuttings rooted indoors in early spring; seed germinates in 21-28 days at 70-75°F
- Plant: After the last spring frost when nights stay above freezing
- Harvest: Spring through fall, slowing in summer heat
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 10–11
Temperature: down to -1°C
Troubleshooting
Most fuchsia headaches come down to heat, or to a few familiar pests and a fungus or two. Keep an eye on the flowers and the undersides of the leaves, because that's where the earliest clues show up. Match what you notice to the list below and act before it gets worse.
Warped, swollen shoots with lumpy galls and reddening leaves
What you're looking at is the fuchsia gall mite, a bug too tiny to spot that bends the growing tips and flowers into puffy, misshapen galls. Snip off and bin every affected piece, then treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap every 2 to 3 weeks. Keep the plant apart from the others and wash your tools, hands, and clothes, because this mite hops from plant to plant with ease.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy all infested plant parts
- Apply horticultural oil or insecticidal soap at 2-3 week intervals
- Isolate infested plants and clean tools, hands, and clothing
Blooms stall and buds fall off when the heat rolls in
Here's the thing: fuchsias like it cool, and the flowers simply switch off once the average daily temperature gets past 76°F (24°C). Your plant isn't on its way out, it's just sitting out the hot spell. Shift containers to a shadier, cooler spot, keep the soil evenly damp, and the blooms return as fall cools things back down.
Fix:
- Move containers to a cooler, shadier location
- Keep soil evenly moist
- Provide protection from hot afternoon sun and wind
Rust-colored powder dotting the backs of the leaves
Those dusty spots are fuchsia rust, a fungus that likes the underside of the leaf, while the top might show yellow blotches. Pluck off and destroy the leaves it's hit, thin things out so air can move through the plant, and try to keep the foliage dry when you water.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy affected leaves
- Improve air circulation
- Avoid wetting foliage when watering
Sticky foliage, black mold, and a puff of little white bugs
Nine times out of ten it's whiteflies, which rise in a cloud when you jostle the leaves and leave a sticky honeydew behind that turns into black sooty mold. Aphids and spider mites cause similar messes too, with aphids curling the leaves and mites leaving fine webbing and speckling. Give the plant a good rinse with water, treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and go again to interrupt the breeding cycle.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage with water
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Repeat applications to break the life cycle
Toxicity
Good news here: fuchsia is safe across the board. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, no part of the plant holds a poison, and the small dark berries are actually edible for people. So you can plant it without a second thought about pets, livestock, or inquisitive kids.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
The ASPCA puts fuchsia on its non-toxic list, so a cat that chews a leaf or bloom is perfectly fine. A really big helping of any greenery can still cause a passing tummy grumble, but there's no poison in play here.
Dogs None
Dogs are in the clear. The ASPCA gives fuchsia the all-clear for them, and even the berries go down harmlessly, though a dog that wolfs down a lot of leaves might get soft stools for a day.
Horses None
Nothing to fret about with horses. Fuchsia holds no toxins that bother them, so a nosy nibble at a hanging basket on the way past won't cause any harm.
Rabbits None
Rabbits can munch fuchsia with zero risk. Both the leaves and the flowers are fine for them, and those little berries are edible as well.
Livestock None
Goats, sheep, and cattle are all fine sharing space with fuchsia. Not one part of the plant carries a toxic compound that could trouble grazing animals.
Birds None
Birds tuck into the ripe berries with no danger at all. In fact, wild birds tend to clear the fruit off the plant before you ever reach it.
People None
Every bit of the fuchsia is safe for people, and those dark little berries really are edible, with a gentle sweetness that can turn slightly peppery. Want the best taste? Wait until they're fully ripe before you pick.
Varieties
Garden fuchsias show up in hundreds of named hybrids, but they fall into a few handy groups that are good to know before you head to the nursery.
Gartenmeister
A triphylla hybrid carrying coral-red tubular blooms above dark bronze-green foliage, and it copes with summer heat far better than most fuchsias do.
Hardy fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica types)
Sturdier, more shrub-like plants that can stay put in the ground and make it through milder winters outside.
Trailing or basket types
Cascading forms whose stems tumble over the edge of a hanging basket, unlike the upright bushes that stand 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm) tall.
How to propagate
Fuchsias are easy to multiply, and cuttings are the one dependable way to keep a hybrid exactly as it is.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring or late summer using softwood cuttings about 6 inches long · Roots typically form in 2-4 weeks
Snip softwood cuttings about 6 inches (15 cm) long in spring or late summer, and they'll root in 2 to 4 weeks. Cuttings are really the only route to take with fuchsias, since the hybrid cultivars don't come true from seed and only a cutting keeps the exact flower and shape of the parent.
Myths
Fuchsia berries are poisonous to people and pets.
Actually, it's the reverse. The ASPCA has fuchsia down as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and those dark little berries are safe and edible for people, tasting mildly sweet with a peppery edge once they've fully ripened.
Fuchsias grow best in full sun.
Not so. Fuchsias are shade plants through and through. They bloom their best in part to full shade with cool temperatures, and a hot afternoon spot only sets them back, since heat above 76°F (24°C) shuts the flowers down completely.