22 — Sunday. July 5, 1998 — North Shore News

Walking around a local
nursery the other day I
was impressed by the
quality and variety of
fuchsia baskets.

The first fuchsia was identi-
fied and named by Charles
Plumier, a French missionary
working in Santo Domingo
(Dominican Republic) in the
fate 1600s. He named the
plant Fuchsia triphylla coccinea
in honor of the Leonhart
Fuchs, a German doctor and
herbalist.

Over the next 250 years
botanists have found more
than 100 other species of fuch-
sia — mainly in the West
Indies, Mexico and New

land.

At the end of the last cen-
tury, the fuchsia had reached
its peak in popularity and has

slid in and out of fashion sev-
cral times since. The
Americans have produced
some of the biggest and bold-
est hybrids. Today there are
more than 9,000 registered
varieties of fuchsia.

Many beginner gardeners
do not realize that fuchsia
come in ovo forms. Most of
the hybrids and large flowered
varicties are classified as tender
fuchsia but there is also a

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north shore news

*HOME& GARDEN
Fuchsia flourish with a litile care

hardy variety that generally has
very small lowers. Phygelius or
Cape fuchsia from South
Africa is often associated with
the fuchsia bur is nor related in
any way.

main hardy fuchsia
species is F. magellanica, a
native to the cooler regions of
southern Argentina and Chile.
Riccartoni and hawkshead are
two popular forms of morc
than 100 hardy fuchsia. All
forms of E. magellanica are
great for our local climate and
T think they are under-used as
landscape plants.

Aplant in a #1 por will
quickly form into a one-metre
high and cne-metre wide mass
of stalks with thousands of
small blooms. Unlike its ien-
der cousins, F. magellanica
does best in full sun but must
be kept well watered. The
blooms begin to form in late
May or early June and will
continue until the first heavy
frost in carly November.

At that time it is best to cut
the plant to the ground and
pile some of the ‘debris on rop
of the plant for extra frost pro-
tection. Around mid March,
clean off the mulched debris
and add compost to the base
of the plant.

Hardy fuchsia can be used
in a rockery, as part of a peren-
nial or shrub bed or as an
accent plant i in a feature bed.
In southern England they put
on a great show as summer
hedges — a use we might pick
up on.

Tender fuchsia hybrids have
variable growth habits and this
allows them to be used in

ANY backyard or patio would be enhanced by this
lovely hanging basket full of fuschia plants.

many ways. The upright ones
can be trained as standards, _
tans or balls, whereas the trail

ing ones are best used as stan-
dards, in hanging baskets, win-
dow boxes or containers. One
display I saw in New Zealand
used a series of containers to
create a waterfall effect. They

can also be planted in the gar-
den as singles or multiples or
mixed with other plants in
borders or beds, Large stan-
dards make excellent accent

plants.
To hold tender fuchsia over’

the winter generally requires a
cool greenhouse as they do

not make good housc plants.
The air is much too hot and
dry for them, not to mention
the insect problems that can
develop.

About 10 years 380, out of
desperation, } set a large win-
dow box full of fuchsia on the
ground in a sheltered spor, cut
off all the soft growth and
then packed the remaining
stems in old lawn moss.

The box itself was covered.
with a layer of dead lady fern
fronds and then covered with
several layers of heavy plastic. ©

On top of this I added
some bushy fir tree boughs
and then banked up the snow
when it got really cold. The
same plants have come
through without a problem
every year since then. Another:
year I healed in some surplus |
plants and covered them tem-
porarily with a cardboard box:.:

After a few heavy zains the:
box collapsed and I" forgot the
plants until the following
spring where much to my sur--
prise they were still alive. With
a licde protection they may not
be as tender as we think they
are. he

Fuchsia are to grow
and relatively ca diseas
and pests. To leam more.
about ving fuchsia, join
the B & Fuchsia and ‘Begori
Society that meets ‘at Vandiis
Gardens. For more informa
tion call 929-5382.

teaches courses for the Novis
Shore Continuing Education:
Department and VanDusen °
Botanical Garden.

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