Standard Fuchsia: Terrific Focal Point Around The Garden

Among the most spectacular summer flowers, Fuchsias are outstanding garden plants with their continuous display of ravishing, dancing blossoms dangling in clusters like prize jewels. Often blooming from late spring until the first frost, they are available in a wide range of colors, from luscious pinks and purples to whites and even peach. Attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, Fuchsias require little care, and their various growing habits, from trailing and cascading to upright and bushy, making them the champions of hanging baskets, window boxes, and containers. They are also wonderful in summer-bedding schemes, as flowering hedges, in permanent plantings, or as standards.

Standard Fuchsias are incredibly eye-catching and a fabulous way to display the striking beauty of their flowers. They add instant height, color, and charm to the garden. They are particularly effective next to doorways or entrance gates, on terraces, patios or balconies where they bring a spectacular show of summer color.

There are different types of standard: Mini Standard – 6 to 10 inches (15-25 cm); Quarter Standard – 10 to 18 inches (25-45 cm); Half Standard – 18 to 30 inches (45-75 cm) and Full Standard – 30 to 42 inches (75- 105 cm). These measurements are taken from the compost level to where the bottom branch leaves the stem.

There are thousands of cultivars and about 110 species, and the choice is unlimited. A standard can be grown from almost any Fuchsia cultivar cutting, but the best ones are those with strong upright growing habits so the plant will grow as quickly as possible. It will take about six months to achieve a quarter or mini standard and 18 months for a full standard Fuchsia.

Here are favorite standard Fuchsia varieties. Remember to bring your standard Fuchsia under cover for winter as the main stem is prone to frost damage even if your Fuchsia variety is considered hardy.