Fuchsia Chantilly

Fuchsia 'Chantilly' is a particularly floriferous and early flowering variety that is rarely offered. It forms a small bush with a rather trailing habit. From May until the end of summer, it produces an abundance of beautiful bicoloured double flowers that display a red tube and sepals with a white to pale-pink frilly corolla. This variety is not very hardy, but is incredibly attractive. It is perfect for hanging baskets.

There are thousands of hybrid fuchsias. For the most part, they are derived from Fuchsia magellanica and F. fulgens, with occasional contributions from F. triphylla, which adds length to the flowers, characterised by thin tubes and violet-hued undersides of the leaves. All these herbaceous to woody plants, varying in hardiness and growth habit, belong to the Onagraceae family.

Fuchsia 'Chantilly' quickly forms a generous, spreading bush, 40 to 50cm (16 to 20in) tall when in bloom, with a similar width. Its flowering extends from May to September-October. It is distinguished by the abundance of its large, very double flowers, whose weight gracefully bends the stems, transforming the plant into a cascade of flowers. They are composed of a tube extended by 4 long and upturned bright red sepals, and a crown of wider and shorter double petals that are white tinged with pale-pink, embedded in the outer corolla of sepals. Short red stamens complete the harmony of colours. The stems are initially herbaceous, becoming somewhat woody as the season progresses. They bear an abundance of foliage composed of slender deciduous leaves. They are opposite, whorled in groups of 3 or 5, and entire, measuring 5 to 8cm (2 to 3in) long. The lanceolate leaves are dark green.

Usually grown as an annual, this fuchsia is a perennial that can be cultivated in a large pot that can be brought indoors in winter to protect it from frost. Fuchsias pair well with the foliage of ferns, rodgersias, or hostas. In a mixed container, they can be planted with ivy, Dichondra 'Silver Falls', lobelias, or bacopas with very delicate flowers.

Discovered in Santo Domingo in the 17th century and acclimatised in Europe, it was named Fuchsia (not Fuschia) in honour of a German botanist named Fuchs. Native to South America, botanical fuchsias have gradually multiplied. There are now believed to be tens of thousands of hybrids!

They are supplied as green plants measuring 4 to 8cm (2 to 3in) in cases of 5 small plugs with a diameter of 2.8cm (1in) and a height of 4cm (2in). Our plants are at least eight weeks old and strong enough to be planted in open ground.

Please note, our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners. Upon receipt, repot and store them in a sheltered place (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame) at a temperature above 14°C (57.2°F) for a few weeks before planting them outdoors once the risk of frost has passed.