FUCHSIAS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 951, 19 April 1930, Page 26

FUCHSIAS

OLD-FASHIONED BUT CHARMING There was a time not very long ago when fuchsias were as popular as anything in the garden. But unaccountably they fell out of favour, and are only now coming into fashion once more. In the hands of the skilled gardener the fuchsia can he grown into one of the most beautiful and graceful plants in cultivation, and we fear it is only due to the craze for quick results, with a minimum of labour, that these plants have suffered such neglect.To grow them successfully, cuttings should be taken in the spring, the young growths root readily if they are cut with a “heel'’ of the old wood. As soon as rooted they can be potted up in light fertile soil; the plants respond readily to liquid manure and careful cultivation, and the first small pots will soon be filled with roots, when they can be potted on into a larger size, which will ensure rapid growth. Grown in the open, they succeed best in a partially shaded position, or, in very hot climates, they can be planted against a -wall or fence facing the south. They must never suffer from drought, and a careful lookout should be kept for caterpillars, which are very partial to the young foliage, and frequently do considerable damage before they are noticed. Fuchsias can be trained to any shape desired by simply pinching out the young shoots as they appear. „ As pyramids they make beautiful pot plants, or as standards, that is, ■with a tall, straight, bare stem and a wide drooping head, they are beautiful specimen, plants in the borders, f he surface being planted out with Lobelia or some other dwarf plants. A wellgrown fuchsia, whether as a pot plant or in the borders, is a “thing of beauty,” and well worth the trouble expended on it.