Fushias Gardening In Pots and Boxes

If shade is what you're looking for when you choose your plans, then fuchsias are the best option for you, and they look great to top it off. They are usually placed in window boxes, pots or in hanging baskets, and many also call them lady's ear drops, because of their beauty and grace.

There are a lot of varieties to choose from, hundreds probably, and among them you will find double or single varieties, white, purple or rose shades, and also the hanging and upright types. You can usually find them a lot in the state of California, because of their moderate winters and cool summers.

In most cases, you will see fuchsias of the upright variety, which are best when placed in containers, but you will also see the hanging varieties. If they are cared for properly, they can reach a very respectable size. Five feet is the length of the Reiter's Giant variety, which has a dark red and purple colour.

If you choose the Mephisto variety, know that it can be even bigger than that. If you want something smaller, you can go with Camellia, which is red and white and 3 feet long, or the Alice Hoffman, that has a length of only two feet and it's pink with white.

Tree Types

A lot of people love the tree varieties of the fuchsias, species that are trained to grow into the form of a tree. Anyone can make such a variety if they have the patience, taking a 4 inch cutting and tying it to a stake that is 4 or 5 feet high.

Then, you pinch it when it reaches a height of 2-4 feet and leave it free to branch out. But, be careful not to take any leaves from it, as it needs them to make food.

Some nice varieties to use when making a tree form are the Storm King (white and red), the Muriel (red and purple), the Flying Cloud (white) or the Gypsy Queen (red and lavender).

These tree varieties are best placed either on ranch houses patios or on terraces, though they can be used in any garden or house and still look great.

For Hanging Baskets

If you ask them, a lot of gardeners will say that fuchsias are best when kept in hanging baskets, as you can see their great looking blooms at eye level. In this form they can be used with great success to decorate entrances, walls, lath houses, walls or patios.

Put them in boxes of red wood or in plastic containers, because if you use lined wire baskets their roots dry out if you don't put more water in them.

Varieties suited best for planting in baskets include the Claret Cup (white and red), the Anna (carmine and magenta) and the Muriel (red and purple). And if you're looking for varieties that are more brilliant, you should pick from one of these: Aurora Superba (orange), Marinka (bright red), San Fancisco (orange red and carmine rose) and Amapola (pink and rose purple).

In most cases you will want to grow but one variety in each of your containers.

Espaliers and Pyramids

If you want to use fuchsias in raised containers or planters, you can use them to create espalier forms on fences and walls, where there isn't enough space to grow other plants. You do need patience and time for this, but it's not difficult to master. Create first a trellis of wire or wood, that has between five and seven tiers.

After that, make sure you train the plant while it grows, pinching it so that it branches out and doesn't have bare stems. Some of the varieties that can be used for this include the Coquette (rose and blue), Dr. John Gallwey (white and red) or the Falling Stars (scarlet and red).

Or, you can create pyramids out of them, similar to the English ivy plants. It's hard though, as they tend to break easily, so a steady hand and some patience is required to tie them in a nice form. They can be placed for maximum effect at entranceways, when they're fully grown.

The Beauty Of Fushias Gardening In Pots and Boxes . . .