UP THE GARDEN PATH

Louise looks at the world of fabulous Fuchsias to escape from the winter.

The last article on spiky plants, with some more unusual and prickly plant customers, however, I’ve put that to one side and decided to focus on something a bit more colourful for this winter issue, as that’s more likely to soothe and cheer us up as we go into the darker and colder months.

And what could be better than a group of plants that I have probably been guilty of taking for granted for many years, the humble Fuchsia. I’ve looked at them with new eyes this last couple of months, having spotted them in many a front garden and park border. They’ve grabbed my attention with their unusual brightly coloured and delicately dangling blooms, and I’ve had to ask myself why I haven’t previously given them a second glance. I don’t think I’d noticed before how long into the winter period the hardy varieties continue to flower. Apparently, they start in the summer and continue until the first harsh frosts, oh well, maybe it’s another climate change flag that’s being waved, but they’re still putting on a brave show as we lurch towards the last month of the year. Fingers crossed I haven’t tempted fate now, and it will be blizzards next week.

I remember my late mother-in-law was obsessed with fuchsias; she would proudly show me around her garden, pointing out particular beauties, and she would give me cuttings that she’d lovingly potted on for me. It makes me rather sad now that I didn’t quite get what it was that she found so fascinating about them at the time. I think I was just into a different gardening style in my younger days – it’s a shame that none of the cuttings have survived, oh the fickleness of youth!

They do look incredibly exotic, so it’s not surprising to find that most are native to South America, though some come from Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and even Tahiti. Supposedly, as early as 1669 a French botanist, Charles Plumier, discovered the first Fuchsia triphylla on what was then the island of Hispaniola. He named it after the famous German botanist Leonhart Fuchs.

These hardy shrubs or small trees – some of the larger ones I’ve seen recently really are quite tall, 2-3m high – all manage fine in our UK climate. The upper parts die off in the winter and once the spring…

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