Fuchsia 'Lady Thumb'
Hardy fuchsia
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Supplied as an established plant in a 3 litre pot
Aspect
Full sun to partial shade
Hardiness
Borderline hardy
Flowers
Summer to autumn
Soil
Loam, sand, clay
About this plant
Tiny carmine and white flowers in great profusion
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Description
Fuchsia 'Lady Thumb' is a compact, dwarf hardy fuchsia producing a profusion of small, semi-double flowers with carmine-red sepals and a white corolla flushed with carmine-pink veining, held on neat, low-growing, bushy stems throughout summer and into autumn. Considerably smaller than most hardy fuchsias, it is one of the best choices for edging, rockeries, and small containers where a larger fuchsia would be out of scale. Its compact habit and dense flowering make it a popular choice for low informal hedging on a miniature scale, and it is an attractive plant for pollinators throughout its long season. -
Why we like it
Key features
What makes it special
Loved by bees & pollinators
Long flowering, late spring into summer
Specs & details
The particulars
- Botanical name
- Fuchsia 'Lady Thumb'
- Common name
- Hardy fuchsia
- Supplied as
- 3 litre pot
- Flower colour
- Red
- Eventual height
- 30–45 cm
- Eventual spread
- 30–45 cm
- Flowering period
- Summer to autumn
- Habit
- Compact dwarf bushy shrub
- Life cycle
- Deciduous shrub
- Hardiness
- Borderline hardy
- Aspect
- Full sun to partial shade
- Soil type
- Loam, sand, clay
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Position
- Front of border, rockery, edging, low informal hedge, patio container
- Plant spacing
- 6–7 plants per m²
- Growing skill
- Easy to grow
Plant calendar
When to plant, when it performs
Planting & care
Help it thrive
Planting guide
Choose a sheltered position in full sun or partial shade with reasonably fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Fuchsia 'Lady Thumb' will not perform well in waterlogged conditions, particularly over winter, so on heavy clay soils incorporate grit and compost to improve drainage before planting. Plant out only after the last frost, setting the crown slightly deeper than it was in the pot, around 5 cm below soil level, to protect the crown buds should the upper stems suffer frost damage. Space plants around 30–35 cm apart for general planting, or closer for a low informal hedge. In containers, even quite small pots are suitable given the plant's compact habit; use a good loam-based or peat-free multipurpose compost with added grit for drainage.
Care tips
Fuchsia 'Lady Thumb' is straightforward to maintain through the growing season. Deadhead regularly to keep the display tidy and encourage further flushes of flower, though the plant is naturally prolific and will continue blooming reliably with or without deadheading. Pinch out the growing tips once in late spring to encourage an even bushier habit if required, though this cultivar is naturally compact and dense without much intervention. Feed container plants with a high-potassium liquid fertiliser every two weeks from midsummer to sustain flowering; border plants need only a spring application of balanced fertiliser. Do not cut back in autumn; leave the woody stems intact as frost protection for the crown, and delay all pruning until spring when new growth confirms which stems have survived.
Winter care
Fuchsia 'Lady Thumb' is one of the hardier dwarf fuchsia cultivars and will overwinter successfully in the ground in a sheltered position in most parts of the UK, particularly in milder counties. In autumn, leave the woody stems intact rather than cutting back; they provide frost protection to the crown below. Apply a generous dry mulch of bark, straw, or bracken over the base of the plant before the first hard frosts arrive. In spring, once new growth is visible low on the stems or at the crown, cut back to just above the lowest healthy shoots. In colder or more exposed gardens, taking semi-ripe cuttings in late summer and overwintering them under glass is a sensible precaution. Container plants should be moved into a frost-free greenhouse or cool conservatory before the first frosts.