Beautiful, profusely blooming fuchsia attracts attention not only with a huge number of flowers, but also with their delicate structure, resembling a dancing nymph. Nowadays, fuchsia is an ornamental plant, but centuries ago, in Central and South America, from which it comes, Fuchsia boliviana was cultivated by the Maya and Incas not only for beautiful flowers, but also for edible fruit (with a sweet, bland taste).
It was considered a sacred plant and was also used for ritual purposes, as evidenced by the ornaments of Nazca pottery dating back to 300-600 BC. On the other hand, in New Zealand, where there are six species of this plant, the Maoris grew another species - Fuchsia excorticata, which is a tree commonly found there.
Its tiny flowers produce the blue pollen used by women to paint their faces, and the wood is suitable for carving.The fruits of this species are also edible. Fuchsia is still a useful plant in many tropical countries. It can be eaten raw or processed, and is suitable for jams, liqueurs, jellies and juices.
Fuchsia belongs to the evening primrose family, which includes about 120 species occurring in various forms of growth: from shrubs, through climbers and creeping plants (Fuchsia procumbens), to trees. It is the only representative of this family that produces fleshy fruit.Currently in our gardens we cultivate hybrid forms of fuchsia originating from the crossing of many different species.It is estimated that there are already 14,000 of them, and new ones appear every year. They bloom throughout the season, until the first frost.
Due to their habit, fuchsia varieties are divided into bushy, half-hanging and hanging. Bushy varieties can be trimmed and shaped into a shape, e.g.trees or even bonsai. Hanging forms are perfect for amplias. In our climate, fuchsia is considered an annual plant, as most varieties will not survive frosts.
It can be kept for the winter in a room with positive temperature - at 2-3˚C it can stay in the dark, in higher temperatures it requires light.During this time, we minimize watering, but do not dry out the root ball.In spring we prune the expansive shoots and in mid-May we can expose the fuchsia to the air, first hardening it.
The most frost-resistant species is Fuchsia magellanica, from which many varieties have been bred. In south-western Poland, this fuchsia can be wintered in the ground, previously covered with a thick layer of leaf, peat or straw mulch. However, usually shoots freeze up and need to be cut short in spring. From the roots, the plant will produce new, strong twigs that will bloom beautifully in summer.
Fuchsia care
Fuchsia requires a fertile and permeable substrate with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The position should be semi-shaded or shaded.It is worth knowing that there are also sun tolerant varieties.They belong to the Triphylla group and bear the graceful names 'Gottingen', 'Koralle' and 'Thalia'. Fuchsia plants require abundant watering and fertilization for flowering plants, especially those grown in containers.
Breeding fuchsia
Fuchsia is propagated by 3-node apical herbaceous cuttings, removing the lower pair of leaves. We take them from non-flowering shoots. To obtain plants that bloom in May, cuttings should be harvested in October and November, and plants that are to bloom in summer are rooting in January.In order to be able to take cuttings from mother plants in good time, cut them shortly at the end of August. leaving one or two pairs of buds on the shoot.
Plants are moved to a cooler (15-16˚C) and bright place and watering is reduced.About 6 weeks before the expected harvest date, fuchsia is moved to a slightly warmer room closer to the window and watering is increased.It is good to supplement mother plants with foliar liquid fertilizer. The seedlings should be thick and dark green. They are placed in the usual substrate. Rooting takes 2-3 weeks.
