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Which Fuchsias are hardy?

19 years ago

Going through the AHS Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, I found F. 'Billy Green' rated as Z7-11 and F. magellanica rated at Z6-9. F. 'Riccatonii' is listed as 'extremely hardy'. Are there any other Fucshias that are hardy to Zone 7? (And which of these would you personally prefer to grow?) Thanks!

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Comments (9)

tightathome
19 years ago
Hi Mark

I am not sure how many of these cultivars you will be able to obtain from where you are? But the link below is not only a good list of Hardies there are also many photographs to give you an idea of just what is available.

Hope you find something.....

Tight....

Here is a link that might be useful: List of Hardies - Chalk Farm
witsend22
19 years ago
wow that is a lot of varieties.. bought my first ones last year and rooted cuttings over winter. never knew there were so many or that hardy varieties exist. not sure just how hardy those hardies are but with some heavy mulching.... hmmm.... might try to leave some in the ground this coming year
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Hi Cassiope If you have left your plants just in their pots in storage you will no doubt have lost them to the frost even if they were in the garage. What I would suggest is the following; 1) Stop giving your plants water at least a couple of weeks BEFORE you want to cut them back; 2) Cut your plants back by approximately 2 thirds (making sure that they have at least a couple of buds below the cut; 3) When you cut the plants back use a PVA glue on the cuts to stop the sap bleeding onto the stems; 4) After the glue has set, you should wrap the plants in their pots in newspaper or preferably garden fleece; 5) Place the wrapped plants in a large box which has had all sides (including top and bottom) covered with some form of insulating material (sheets of polystyrene are good for this and if all else fails you can use the material used for packing electrical appliances or the small beads that are sometimes used to fill cushions or bean bags) anything that will insulate. The plants will need checking a couple of times during the winter to make sure that they do not become too dry. Water sparingly and replace the plants until you are happy that you can bring the plants out of their 'hibernation' and start them back into growth. I would like to say that you could keep the plants growing in the house overwinter but unless you have all the conditions correct you will either have stunted growth or leggy growth. Much better to try and give the plants a rest during this period. Sorry I can't be of much help .....but -35 now thats cold!!!!. Tight....
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Phygelius is one tough plant. You can grow them as freezebacks in places like Spokane (which is where I first "met" one). They get a little rangy on this side of the mountains, sucker like crazy, but a little judicious pruning will get them back in shape. Good bloomers and hummingbirds love them. It comes from wet places in an overall dry climate...in the foothills of the Drakensberg of South Africa. P. capensis has LONG, loose inflorescences. It could be any color from about dusky salmon to screaming scarlet, typically with yellow throats, although there are all-yellow types. It has been almost completely replaced in cultivation with hybrid P. x rectus, that has shorter inflorescences. These have been bred to have all sorts of trendy colors--not just the reds and yellows of the wild species. They are really easy to start from either seed or cuttings. They are related to Pennstemons, an old world version, but easier to grow. Very forgiving of damp climates, being typically found along streams. Fairly wide tolerance of sun or partial shade.
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Earthworks is local to me, and their rooted cuttings are a good bargain. >>Are there any other suggestions for this area? I'm partial to the bright red/purple or pinks ... upright prefered but not required. MUST be ground hardy. Good news is that all magellanica types should be root-hardy for you with a mulch. Bright red/deep purple is by far the most common coloration among wild Fuchsias and tends to dominate the hardies, although there are other possibilities. F. magellanica has a huge range, and varies slightly in hardiness. Some types, such as from subalpine scrub or at the Straits of Magellan which are its southern limit, are quite coldhardy. A typcal magellanica type will survive somewhat north of you with a mulch and people used to grow them in parts of the midwest in Victorian times. F. campos-portoi is a close cousin that looks a lot like it (finer leaves and smaller flowers than most magellanicas but really not significant); it is a little coldhardier than an average magellanica and reputedly more heat tolerant. Not as easy to root tho, which seems odd. Fuchsia regia is strangely coldhardy for a plant from a climate whose winters are about as cold as Florida's. It should do fine in Virginia. It looks like the other two but is a tall plant whose long stems reach into the trees for support. There are a lot of hybrids that are close to F. magellanica; some have white corollas instead of purple. Not a huge color range typically. F. magellanica var molinae, which some people call "magalba" (it's not really an alba), is a big hardy form from Chiloe island with small pale purple ("pink"--not really but people call them that) blossoms. It is worth mentioning, but hard to get the real thing in this country, that there is a magellanica type called "Riccartoni" which is extra-hardy. It is named for a garden or perhaps castle in Scotland, where it was noticed and named. It is distinguishable from other magellanicas by its short tube. Technically I do not have it, but I have a short-tubed magellanica seedling that showed up in my garden as a volunteer, probably having reverted from a hybrid ancestor. Most plants sold as "Riccartoni" in the USA are nothing but plain old typical versions of magellanica. Here is something I am not sure of in terms of hardiness limits, so others please chime in--some encycliandra/thymifolia types are relatively coldhardy. They have wee blossoms, one species is fragrant!!!! (probably the only Fuchsia that is), not quite typical Fuchsia shape (the petals are vestigial I think), and fine, "ferny" looking foliage. Some of them get big (wee blossoms and tiny leaves on a good-sized shrub). They are not typical Fuchsias, but come from cloudforests of southern Mexico, far north of typical Fuchsia country. Although typically pollinated by bees, the ruby-flowered types still attract hummingbirds. They also come in cerise, whites, pinks, mauves, pale purples, etc. I hate to say this but...non-variegated plants will be easier to grow. The variegation compromises hardiness, vigor, blossoming, and shade-tolerance.
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Unfortunately, F.m. 'Alba' is not white at all but a pale pink and now more correctly named F.m. var. molinae (aka Angel's or Maiden's Blush). There are few pure white hardy fuchsias, specially with that dainty form you describe. I'd also bet on either 'Hawkshead' or 'Grayrigg'. Both are pretty common in better PNW nurseries.
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fuchsiabonsailady
19 years ago
Hi Wits,
I see your zone is 6Pa, what are your average minumum winter temperatures? - Kath :)
jenny_in_se_pa
19 years ago
Kath - Zone 6a avg. winter min is -10Â° F -> -5Â° F (about -23Â° C -> -20Â° C).

This past year was the first time I've seen F. magellanica offered around my area at a nursery. I picked up a little 'Aurea' that I potted and have inside for winter. I've wondered if these were realistically hardy around here. But I guess one would never know unless they try it.
jenny_in_se_pa
19 years ago
Just wanted to add that Zone 6b is -5Â° F -> 0Â° F (-20Â° C -> -17Â° C), just to cover the rest of the Zone 6 range. :)
fuchsiabonsailady
19 years ago
Thank you for that info Jenny. I've lived at my present address for 36 years, our average winter temperatures are normally never less that 23f / -5c. Earlier years, on the odd occassion 14f / -10c and my hardies survived, but if they would have survived -5f to 0f (-20c to -17c) that is doubtful, but as you say one never really knows unless one tries.

If you are going to try next winter, take some cuttings first and keep those plants overwintered inside, and the one outdoors, plant it into the garden late Spring/early Summer, at least 8 inches deeper than it is in the pot. This gives it chance to get its roots well established into the ground before next winter. Before the frosts come cover with at least a foot of dry mulch eg chipped bark or something similar.

If you decide to try, let us know the following year if it survived - Kath :)
Anne12
19 years ago
Are hardy fuchsias (outdoors) prone to having white fly? Also I have a hanging basket fuchsia that I wintered in my greenhouse and it is white fly prone. I use a homemade soap+ spray and have to use it weekly. Anne
tightathome
19 years ago
Hi Anne

Unfortunately fuchsias are very susceptible to whitefly and almost all growers will experience the problems that you are encountering at some time or other.

One problem with using a soap based spray is that the whitefly produce a waxy protective covering and you canÂt always be sure that you have ÂzappedÂ them all, hence they start the cycle once again and it becomes a vicious circle.

The way I deal with the problem is to spray twice weekly in order to break the life cycle of these pests. I must admit that I use an insecticidal spray and only after I am sure that the whitefly and any aphids are under control will I use a soft soap spray (Stergene). I have in the past used a spray made up of 1 tablespoon of ÂPotato StarchÂ (Farina) mixed with a pint of water. This sets on the whitefly in a couple of minutes and then you simply wash the plants afterwards using clear tepid water. The drawback is that you MUST make sure that the plants are clean and that you clean the spray out immediately before the solution sets in the nozzle etc. - but it does work and it is organic.

However, having said that home made recipes are not recommended ÂÂÂÂ well not here in the UK anyway.

Hope this helps.

Tight....
dryad58
19 years ago
Hey there,
I have a fuschia gartemeister that I bought while i was living in California. I don't know how well it withstands freezing temps, but the thing will not die! I've had screen doors crush it, the dog has dug it up twice and the cat STILL thinks it's a salad bar.... and the fuschia has a whole bunch of new growth and is trying to bloom again! I'm impressed. :) The only problem i ever had with it was an infestation of these little mites, but washing the leaves took care of it.

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