Fuchsia is deservedly among the ten most popular plants. The pomp of flowering and variety of varieties allows not only to replenish the collection of indoor plants, but also to actively use this plant in landscape design. The flower has earned its popularity thanks to its extraordinarily beautiful flowers-bells, for which the plant is called the "ballerina". Fuchsia feels great in the garden, and the cultivation and care of it do not require special training.
Hybrid varieties for the street
The color of the "ballerina" colors is pleasing with a variety - from variegated light and blue monochrome tones to bright, from pale pink to lilac.
For garden design most often used varieties with large, strongly expanding straight shoots. They, undoubtedly, need careful leaving, but become prettier from year to year. 
All types of fuchsia have their own requirements for lighting, but most of them do not tolerate direct sunlight. Therefore, plant these plants better in shaded areas.
For solar zones and open areas suitable varieties such as Hawaiian Aloha and Coral. They bloom sumptuously even under the scorching sun, but require more stringent care.
Compact and ampelous bushes are best grown in pots in the garden. These species are short-lived and over time begin to grow upwards. 
Therefore, when growing them, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the plant, replacing periodically old lignified bushes with young ones. They can also be placed in the garden as a decorative group or decorate with them a balcony or terrace.
Ivy, balsam and begonia will be excellent neighbors for the fuchsia of a hybrid grown in vases.For the winter, the street "ballerina" can be dug out and left until spring in a cool room with enough light. Mainly for the garden are suitable varieties of fuchsia:
- Beacon. Bush 50-60 cm tall with medium-sized dark green toothed leaves. The flowers are bright red glossy.
- Gartenmeister Bonstedt. Bush, quite resistant to sunlight. Differs in salmon-orange flowers. Leaves - medium-sized, green.
- Koralle. Upright plant with vigorous shoots and early, abundant and fairly long flowering. Leaves - large, green. Flowers - medium, salmon-orange shade.
- Cliantha. Srednerosly bush plant that grows up to 30-35 cm in height. It has medium-sized dark green leaves and lilac terry flowers of medium size.
- Comet. Srednerosly bush of American origin. Differs in rich green leaves and rather large pink-red terry flowers with a purple skirt.
- Fey. Free-flowing medium-medium variety with medium-sized green leaves. It blooms white with green trim flowers dressed in blue skirts.
- Granada. A semi-blooming, flowering plant. Foliage - large, light green with reddish streaks. Flowers - large, rich red color.
- Icicle. Ampelny strong-growing and fast-growing variety with light green leaves. Blooms large double white flowers.
- Margarita. Half-light, weakly branching variety, characterized by long flowering. Leaves - dense, green. Blooms with large terry flowers of cream shade.
- Queen. Srednerosly form in height of 45-50 cm. Foliage - glossy, dark green, with notches at the edges. Flowers - large, terry, white with a red skirt.
- Supersport. Bush srednerosly grade, no more than 35 cm high. Differs in large dense double-rich red flowers with a lilac skirt.
Choosing a place
Many varieties of fuchsia are fairly resistant to cold, but most varieties are heat-loving plants. For cultivation in the garden for them suitable windless areas with moderate lighting, even slightly shaded.
The soil for the "ballerina" fit neutral and fertile.
Planting seedlings
In open ground fuchsia planted in the spring or early summer. Approximately in 15-20 days the plant is well acclimatized, and under condition of observance of all the rules of care it will well grow. 
When planting you need to make sure that the root neck is not dredged more than 20 cm.
Many growers believe that it is not at all necessary to replant the plant directly into the ground, but rather to bury it in the soil directly in the pot. In this way, frequent watering can be avoided and in the fall it will be easier to dig it up for storage indoors.
Did you know? Fuchsia was bred in France in 1695 and named after the German botanist Leonard Fuchs.
Care Tips
As already noted, fuchsias do not like the scorching rays, but they like the morning sun. However, this plant requires some watering and care. 
Watering
Maintaining a sufficient level of moisture is an important condition when caring for fuchsia. The soil should be constantly wet, but bogging should be avoided (the ground must contain drainage).
Excessive moistening displaces oxygen from the soil and thereby causes rotting of the roots and the subsequent death of the plant. 
When drying the soil "ballerina" can lose foliage. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the foliage - as soon as it wilted, the plant should be watered.
Fuchsia is watered in the morning (so that the moisture is well absorbed by the roots, and not evaporated), trying to use the settled water, and in the evening arrange a warm shower for the plant.
Important! In winter and late autumn, the "ballerina" is not watered.After irrigation, the soil around the soil is loosened and weeds are removed.
Top dressing
In principle, fuchsia is excellent for instant feedings. Therefore, you can safely use such fertilizers.
As a liquid fertilizer for fuchsia, you can use biohumus, nitrogen fertilizers, mineral fertilizers, as well as drugs: Kemira, Plantafol, Criston.When the fuchsia begins to bloom, it is fed. To this end, it is advisable to water it daily with liquid fertilizers for flowering crops. As a rule, such supplements are introduced from spring to early September.
Soil fertilizer should be alternated with foliar top dressing (spraying the leaves). The concentration of the solution must comply with the instructions.Important! You can not make soluble fertilizers in the presence of fuchsia signs of the disease and in the first 2 weeks after plant transplantation.To the question of young gardeners about what fuchsia should be fertilized with in order for it to bloom, experienced florists answer that potassium and phosphorus are necessary for planting lush flowering. Therefore, in the feeding these elements must be present in sufficient quantities.
Pests and diseases
Like many cultivated plants, fuchsia is susceptible to various pests and diseases:
- White fly. A small insect resembling a microscopic mole. It settles on the underside of the leaves and sucks the juice from the plant.
Fighting it is not only possible, but also easy. The most important thing is to prevent a strong spread.To do this, you must regularly inspect the "ballerina" and from time to time to arrange the plant a cool shower. Thus a double benefit is achieved: dust is washed away and at the same time pests.
If such methods did not help and the whitefly remains on the flower, you will have to use chemical preparations. “Aktara” is well suited for this, with a solution watered by the plant. If the pest is too much, fuchsia is treated with insecticides (Iskra, Konfidor, Fitoverm, Agravertin, Tanrek). As a rule, one treatment is enough.
- Spider mite. It appears mainly in dry and hot weather. If the plant infects this pest, it lags behind in development, the tops and buds dry out, and on the back of the leaf you can see a thin web and small spiders of yellow or reddish hue. They fight with this pest by spraying with mites ("Fitoverm", "Fufanon", "Akarin") and increase humidity.
- Mealy dew. Appears as a result of excessive watering. You can fight it with the help of "Topaz" and "Fundazola".
Winter fuchsia
For winter, planted fuchsia planted in an open field is better to transplant in a pot and transfer to a dark cool place.
Important! Fuchsia must survive the first frost before wintering. So she will be a kind of hardening before hibernation.
Storage indoors
It must be remembered that fuchsias come to us from the tropics, so at home we will have to create conditions that are characteristic of a tropical winter — cool nights.
Transferring the "ballerina" in the room, place it in a room with a soft bright light and, preferably, without the use of heating devices. This is especially important at night - this is the most critical period. 
During the dormant period, it is important to ensure that the soil is wet and to avoid drying out.
At the end of January, pruning is carried out, cutting off 1/3 the length of the shoots. Secondary pruning is done in spring. This removes the dry old shoots and forms the crown.
In the spring, with increasing daylight, you can begin to feed the plant and move it to a warmer room so that it “wakes up”.
Did you know? Black and purple fuchsia fruits are edible. They are sweetish and a bit like a peach in taste. These berries were used as a dessert, and the Incas made wine from fuchsia.
In the open ground
Some winter hardy fuchsias in the southern regions can be left in the garden. Only for the winter they are covered with spruce leaves or oak leaves. Before hibernating the bushes, the leaves and buds are cut, sprinkled with a layer of earth (about 20 cm) and covered with lapnik. 
To isolate the plant from excess moisture, cover the top with a film or put roofing material. Open the flower only in mid-May.
Important! In regions with a cold climate for the winter, fuchsia must be transferred to the premises.
Reproduction at home
Many people get used to flowers so much that they die when they die.
Fortunately, reproduction of fuchsia at home is not only possible, but also simple. In addition, the flower can be propagated both by seed and vegetatively.
Cuttings
Most often used vegetative method. After all, to take care of the seedlings in this case is much easier, and the young specimens themselves quickly grow up and begin to bloom. 
In this case, you can cut the planting material at any time during the summer. The main thing is to look for healthy buds on the shoots., and the stems themselves were not green, but slightly lignified.
Cuttings are carefully cut with a sharp knife and remove all leaves except the top pair. Root shoots can be in:
- water;
- mixtures of sand and peat;
- wet perlite.
Seeds
Fuchsia from seeds is rarely grown, mostly if desired, to conduct experiments in breeding. Plants grown in this way can lose their parental varietal qualities, and there is too much trouble with them. 
If you do decide on this method of reproduction, then spend it in March and April. In this case, the seeds are planted in containers, lightly sprinkled, covered with glass or film.
The ideal option - the use of peat tabletswhich are then immediately transplanted, but the root system remains intact.
After sowing the seeds, the containers are brought into a room with a sufficient amount of sunlight, and in which the temperature is kept at + 16-18 ° C.
Seeds also reproduce plants such as: streptokarpus, Mirabilis, Acacia, plumeria, Lisianthus, adenium, Erica, eland, Bacopa.After 14-20 days, the seeds will germinate, and after 1-1.5 months they can dive, planting at a great distance from each other. And only after 2 months planted in separate containers.
As you can see, growing fuchsia in the garden is quite simple. And its lush flowering looks great outdoors and will be the whole summer to please the owners with its unusual flowering, creating an atmosphere of celebration and harmony.
