Shrub
How to grow hardy fuchsias
Fuchsia magellanica and hardy hybrids
Hardy fuchsias live outdoors all year in most of the UK, dying back to the ground in cold winters and regrowing from the base. Plant in May or June, in sun or part shade and soil that stays moist, with the root ball set 5 cm deeper than it was in the pot. Leave the old stems on through winter, cut them down in spring once new shoots show, and keep the plant watered and fed with potash for flowers from July to October.
- Hardiness
- Frost-hardy, dies back and regrows from the base
- Position
- Sun to part shade
- Soil
- Fertile, moisture-retentive, free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.0
- Water
- Moderate to high in dry spells
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting hardy fuchsias
WhenPlant May to Jun (deep); flowers Jul to Oct; cut back Mar to Apr
Starting off
Plant pot-grown stock May to Jun only, so the roots are deep and established before the first frost; autumn planting often fails. Propagate by 5 to 8 cm softwood cuttings in Apr to Jun or Aug to Sep, rooting in 2 to 3 weeks at 18 to 21°C in gritty compost with no leaves touching the surface; cuttings root so easily that no hormone is needed.
Spacing and planting
F. magellanica and 'Riccartonii' reach 1.5 to 2 m by 1.5 m in mild gardens, 1 m if cut down yearly; 'Mrs Popple', 'Genii' and 'Tom Thumb' stay at 45 to 90 cm. Plant 60 to 100 cm apart, or 45 cm for a hedge in a single row, setting the rootball 5 cm deeper than it was in the pot so the crown is insulated. Compact hardy types suit a 30 to 40 cm pot of loam-based compost.
Varieties worth growing
- 'Riccartonii'
- The hedging fuchsia of the west coast: slender red and purple flowers on a shrub that reaches 2 m where winters are mild.
- 'Mrs Popple'
- Large scarlet and violet flowers on a sturdy 1 m bush; one of the most reliably hardy large-flowered kinds.
- 'Hawkshead'
- Small, pure white flowers tipped green on an upright, fine-leaved plant; good in part shade.
- 'Genii'
- Lime-yellow foliage on red stems with small red and purple flowers; colours best in sun.
- 'Tom Thumb'
- Dwarf at 30 to 45 cm and covered in flower; for pots, edging and the front of a border.
Hardy fuchsias month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do. Leave the old stems standing as frost protection.
- February
Nothing to do.
- March
Watch for new shoots at the base. Do not cut back before you see them.
- April
Cut all stems back to 5 to 10 cm once shoots show. Balanced feed and a mulch. Softwood cuttings.
- May
Plant, 5 cm deeper than the pot level. Cuttings. Water new plants.
- June
Plant. Start the fortnightly potash feed. Check shoot tips for gall mite.
- July
Flowering begins. Water deeply in dry spells; pots daily.
- August
Keep feeding and watering. Softwood cuttings to overwinter under cover. Nematodes on pots.
- September
Last potash feed by the end of the month. Last cuttings.
- October
Flowering continues until the first hard frost. No feeding.
- November
Mulch the crown 10 cm deep with bark or straw. Do not cut back.
- December
Nothing to do. Move pots against a house wall.
Feeding hardy fuchsias
A moderate feeder with a long flowering season. One balanced feed as growth starts, then potash little and often from June to September, and nothing afterwards so the wood ripens before winter.
A high-potassium feed sustains the long flowering; keep moist.
Feeding plan
April, as you cut back
100 g/m² round the crown: 100 g for a bush that fills a square metre, 25 g for a dwarf plant 50 cm across (0.25 m²). Water in and mulch.
June to September, every 2 weeks
Potassium Rich Fertiliser 11% K
0.5 to 1 g per litre of water as a drench: 5 to 10 g in a 10 litre can, which does 2 to 3 established plants.
Potting
5 g per litre of compost: 60 g for a 30 cm pot (about 12 litres), 125 g for a 40 cm pot (about 25 litres).
June to September, pots, every 2 weeks
Potassium Rich Fertiliser 11% K
0.5 g per litre of water, used in place of a normal watering until it runs from the base.
October onwards
No fertiliser
None. Late feeding gives soft growth that the first frost kills.
Signs to watch
Older leaves yellow between the veins with purple tints in Aug → magnesium short after weeks of high-potash feeding → Epsom salts drench at 20 g per litre and alternate with a balanced feed. Lush dark leaves with buds dropping → excess nitrogen or drought at the root → water daily in pots, switch to a potassium-leaning feed. Pale leaves and spindly growth in a pot after midsummer → nitrogen ex
Pests, diseases and problems
Shoot tips swollen, twisted and reddish-yellow, with no normal leaves or flowers forming
Fuchsia gall mite, now widespread in southern England
There is no cure. Cut every affected shoot back at least 10 cm below the damage and bin it, not compost it. On a badly hit plant, cut all growth to the ground and bin it; clean regrowth often follows.
Orange powdery pustules under the leaves, yellow patches above, then leaf drop
Fuchsia rust, worst in damp, still conditions
Pick off and bin affected leaves early, water at the base, and space plants for air flow. Pull up rosebay willowherb nearby, which carries the same rust.
Shoot tips blind, young leaves tattered with small holes, few flowers
Capsid bugs feeding on the growing points from May to August
Pinch damaged tips back to a healthy pair of leaves; the plant branches and flowers a few weeks late.
Leaves stripped by a very large brown or green caterpillar with eye spots
Elephant hawk moth caterpillar
Leave it or move it to a spare plant or to willowherb. The damage is brief and the moth is worth having.
A pot-grown plant wilts despite wet compost, and the roots are gone
Vine weevil grubs
Water nematodes onto pots in April and in late August to September.
No sign of growth by May
A slow start after a hard winter, or a crown planted too shallow and killed by frost
Wait until mid June before giving up, since shoots from below ground come late. Plant replacements deep and mulch the crown each November.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Flowers on new growth, so cut all stems back to 5 to 10 cm above the ground in Mar to Apr once new shoots appear at the base; in mild coastal gardens plants that keep their stems need only dead wood removed and a light trim. Leave the old top growth standing over winter as frost cover and mulch the crown 10 cm with bark or straw in Nov. Deadheading is unnecessary. Stake tall hedges of 'Riccartonii' in e
Good to knowIn cold areas it dies back, leave top growth on over winter, then cut to the base in spring.
Growing hardy fuchsias in pots
Compact hardy fuchsias such as 'Tom Thumb', 'Genii' and 'Mrs Popple' do well in a 30 to 40 cm pot of loam-based compost. Plant a little deep, as in the ground. They are thirsty: water daily in summer and never let the pot dry out in bud, or the buds drop. A pot freezes through more readily than the ground, so in November move it against a house wall or into an unheated shed or greenhouse and keep the compost barely moist until spring. Repot or top-dress each April when you cut back.
Hardy fuchsias: common questions
When should I cut back a hardy fuchsia?
Cut it back in March or April, once you can see new shoots at the base, taking all the old stems down to 5 to 10 cm. Do not cut back in autumn: the old top growth protects the crown from frost. In mild coastal gardens where the stems survive, just remove dead wood and trim to shape.
Is my fuchsia dead after winter?
Probably not; hardy fuchsias are late to wake and may show nothing until May or even June after a cold winter. Scratch the bark near the base: green underneath means it is alive. Even if every stem is dead, shoots usually come from below ground where the crown was planted deep.
How do I know if my fuchsia is hardy?
Go by the variety name, not the look of the plant. F. magellanica and named hardy varieties such as 'Riccartonii', 'Mrs Popple', 'Hawkshead', 'Genii' and 'Tom Thumb' overwinter outdoors when planted deep. Trailing basket fuchsias and most with very large double flowers are tender and need frost-free shelter.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.