Fuchsia 'Tom West'

Fuchsia 'Tom West' is a well established corner stone of the Fuchsia world, first introduced in 1853. It is a  vigorous  freely branching hardy fuchsia predominantly grown for its stunning variegated foliage. This foliage becomes more pink as it is exposed to full sunlight. It flowers during the late spring period with small cerise pink flowers enhanced by deep purple corollas and will keep flowering through the summer to the late autumn period.

Plant height will be  about  24 inches (-60 cm), making it suitable for use as an architectural plant in a border or container. It is considered to be relatively hardy, down to between -5 and -10 degrees C and  would benefit from mulching over winter, to help it survive a harsh winter period.

This plant prefers full sun but will survive in partial shade, enjoys a fertile well drained moist soil, making it ideal for planting in containers, and borders.  Ideally the soil should not be water logged to encourage maximum survivability.

To get the best from this plant, make sure it is well established before the autumn, feed regularly, say once a month and deadhead the blooms, this will encourage further flowering. Always prune to an outward pointing bud, so that you promote a spread in the foliage. Always remove any dead vegetation in the spring to promote healthy growth for the next growing season.

This fuchsia tends to become better established during subsequent years growth, making it suitable for border planting as an architectural plant. Again, if possible plant them in a group of three on a triangular layout, so they become more prominent within the border’s architecture.