WHEN gardening friends tell me that they cannot abide pelargoniums or that they would never allow gladioli into their borders or that begonias are far too vulgar for their garden, my response is always the same: they don’t know the family well enough and I can guarantee that there is at least one plant that will soften their stone hearts.
The same goes for fuchsias. Often dismissed for having baroque flowers in gaudy colours, among the 100 or so species and the thousands of cultivars and hybrids, there are ones that will sit comfortably in any garden. If you find the more ostentatious hybrids too garish, then look to the elegance and simplicity of the species; on the other hand, if you think the modesty of the species more suited to a botanic garden, you will be overwhelmed by the range of showy, hybrid examples.
Fuchsias are mainly native to South America and include plants only a few inches tall, as well as shrubs that reach 12ft high. There is even, in the genus, a tree that grows to 30ft. The flowers consist of a group of petals that form a tube covered, in bud, by four long sepals. In most wild species, the sepals are red and the petals purple, colours said to be most attractive to the hummingbirds that pollinate the flowers. It is the peculiar structure and bicoloured aspect of the flower that breeders have exploited to develop flamboyant hybrids.
Denne historien er fra August 18, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra August 18, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
