Fuchsia ‘Mrs Popple’

In a crowded field of fuchsias , Mrs. Popple has been shining in gardens for over 100 years and is still one of the best! Winner of the prestigious Award of garden Merit from the RHS for her great garden presence, vigorous nature and long bloom-time. She’s one of the 1st hardy fuchsias to bloom in summer and one of the last to stop blooming. The flowers have scarlet red sepals surrounding a purple corolla. The overall effect is red from a distance, so I feature Mrs. Popple fuchsia in my red garden bed. The flowers are hummingbird magnets and dangle like delicate earrings. Mrs Popple is an upright 4×4 shrub with graceful arching branches and her flowers are hummingbird magnets. One of the best fuchsias to use as a hedge, along a pathway or in a mixed border. Here in the Pacific NW, fuchsias bloom best in full- part sun with a bit of protection from the late hot afternoon sun. They can be planted slightly deeper than most plants, kind of like a tomato, which makes them a bit more cold hardy. Hardy in zones 7-10. Wait till spring to lop off the foliage down to the new growth. All hardy fuchsias are a bit late to emerge in spring, so be patient and you will be rewarded with continuous flowering summer through fall.

Interesting History of Mrs Popple

Fuchsia Val Bourne, from the Daily Telegraph tells the fun story of how Mrs Popple Fuchsia was rediscoverd and introduced. “Spotted by Clarence Elliott of The Six Hills Nursery, in Stevenage. Clarence was attending a tennis party held by his neighbour Mrs Popple when he noticed the simple purple and red single-flowered fuchsia growing by the court. A conversation with his hostess revealed that this fuchsia had been growing outside for decades. Elliott collected cuttings in the summer of 1899 (one of the sunniest on record) and ‘Mrs Popple’ remains the best hardy fuchsia for a hedge.”