About this cultivar: Fuchsia 'Margaret' (d) was introduced by breeder W.P. Wood in the 1930s (registered as a variety in 1937) and is still going strong. A vigorous deciduous shrub with upright growth and dark green leaves. From summer to autumn, it produces abundant double flowers with crimson tubes, recurved sepals, and violet-purple petals streaked with red. I think it looks great with the drying out Astrantia seed heads in the second image shown here (tho the leaves look lime green in that photo, they are darker in reality! More like the other photos. Your mileage may vary etc). A bit like Fuchsia 'Dollar Prinzessin' but bigger and a bit pinker in the flower. Has the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM). Position: Full sun, partial shade Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert Flowers: July, August, September, October Other features: Grows well in Ballyrobert, Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM) Hardiness: H4 - Hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5°C), Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert!, Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert! Habit: Clump forming, bushy Foliage: Deciduous Height: 100 - 150 cm (3.5 - 5 ft) Spread: 100 - 150 cm (3.5 - 5 ft) Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial Colour: Green, purple, red Goes well with: Everything! About this genus: Fuchsia (few-che-a) is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. There are over 110 recognized species. The first, Fuchsia triphylla, was discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (present day Dominican Republic and Haiti) about 1696 by the French monk and botanist, Charles Plumier during his third expedition to the Greater Antilles. He named the new genus after the renowned German botanist Leonhart Fuchs. The Fuchsias we grow and sell are perennial and hardy - they are all growing away in our own garden. They are easy to grow once they are established - they will take almost any situation or soil that isn't too extreme. They provide continual flowers from July until late autumn, when the first frosts arrive. They come into their own in autumn because they enjoy cooler temperatures and shorter days. The Autumn light also enhances the rich mixture of pinks, reds, peaches and whites in the garden. Eventually most will die back for the winter - usually when a hard frost kills the upper part of the plant, however they will start growing from the base again when the next spring comes! Fuchsias are versatile plants - although not native they have naturalized in many parts of this world, for instance along the beautiful Antrim Coast. They can often been seen growing wild. It is for this reason that I like them poking in and around hedges for a natural look. However the common use is as stand alone specimen plant - it is really up to you!
