When to Prune Fuchsia in the UK

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If you want to get the most out of your fuchsia plant and keep those gorgeous blooms coming back year after year then you will need to prune it. But when to prune fuchsia if you live in the UK? There’s lots of advice out there on the big wide web, but most of it is not suitable for us UK gardeners, so let me help you out with my easy to follow guide below.

When to prune Fuchsia in the UK

Pruning fuchsia is a spring activity, you want to be doing it once all risk of frost has passed. Late March or well into April depending on how far north you live.

You don’t want to prune your Fuschia and then have them go straight into a frost as this much shock followed by the damage of a frost could seriously hurt them. On the other hand, you need to leave plenty of time for the plant to recover before the flowering season if you want to get the best bloom possible.

That is why I say spring but not early spring. Mid to late spring is late enough so that the risk of frost should be passing, but still early enough for the plant to have time to put on plenty of nice new growth for summer.

Fuchsias flower on new growth so pruning is essential to get the best displays. They can tolerate heavy pruning and some varieties can be cut right back to the ground only to come once again stronger than ever.

If you want to learn how to prune Fuchsia then make sure to check out my other article, how to prune Fuchsia.

Why prune Fuchsia?

We prune Fuchsia to promote fresh growth, Fuchsia flower on new growth and not on old growth. If you don’t prune them back you can end up with a lot of old woody growth and very few flowers. Have a look at the photo below for an example of what I mean.

Pruning a Fuchsia also helps them to overwinter. By removing a lot of the growth on the plant it has much less to maintain. This means it can put more of its energy reserves into surviving winter rather than just maintaining its foliage.

More on Fuchsia

Fuchsias are a staple of British gardens, these perennial shrubby plants are found everywhere. Grown for their bright flowers, which with a little attention can flower all summer, and hardiness for those cold British winters.

The first written description of a Fuchsia comes from 1690 by the French monk Minim after he discovered them on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. There are over 100 different types of Fuchsia, most of them originating from South America. With a little care and attention, they can look good year after year in UK gardens.

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