Blue fuchsias have a kind of mythical air about them – theyโre always much sought after and the colours are so very special. Each bloom opens a vivid azure blue, and fades to a soft lilac, meaning youโve often got two colours on one plant at the same time.
For many years, the choice of blue fuchsias was limited to โDeltaโs Sarahโ, the popular hardy variety. However, newer breeding and selection has given us compact patio varieties such as โPrince Georgeโ, and new tumbling โMr Blue Skyโ.
Fuchsia โMr Blue Skyโ has been selected for itโs trailing stems, bejewelled with baby blue, fabulously fancy flowers. Plant it into a hanging basket, window box, flower pouch or anywhere it can trail.
Easy to grow
I challenge any of you to not be able to grow a fuchsia. It really is quite simple. They just calmly ‘do their thingโ, whether in sun or shade, and they have no qualms about the English weather. Where possible, avoid a super sunny position where theyโll dry out too often, but apart from that, theyโre quite unfussy.
Fuchsia โMr Blue Skyโ would look great planted on its own, but also as part of a mixture of other basket plants. The clear blue flowers mean it would work with pastel tones as well as richer, in your face, summer colours.
Planting tips
For very best results grow in a hanging basket so that you can appreciate the flowers and the trailing habit of this variety.
When choosing a hanging basket, make sure you select one with a diameter of at least 14 inches, this will mean the capacity of the basket is much larger than most, and it will retain moisture much easier, meaning less watering. I would plant up to seven or more plants into a basket of that size.
Itโs also a good idea to use the best quality compost that you can afford too. Buying low grade composts could mean that your plants donโt perform as well as youโd hoped.
I also recommend planting into a basket with side holes so that you can plant into the sides, this means you can get a head-start on the trailing effect, rather than having to wait for the plants to tumble over the rim.
Keep feeding them regularly with a high potash plant food, like Flower Power, as this can dramatically increase flowering. Finally, as the flowers fade and die, youโll notice some red berries appear. While these are edible and tasty, theyโll stop your plant flowering, so nip them out before they form.
