Question
Are double Fuchsias perennials? I am doing my new landscape for my home this year. My mom always buys the double fuchsias in a hanging pot but at the end of the season they are dead.(SHE BUYS THEM FOR THE LOOK THAT THEY HAVE AT THE TIME, NOT FOR PROLONGED USE) I love these plants and would love to have them in my home all year round. Also, if they are perennials what is they proper way to take care of them. I live in Zone 6.

Answer
Hello Carla

Fuchsias - Now here's a plant to stir the imagination!!  There are about 100 varieties - single, semi-double and fully double flowered, erect bushy, spreading bushy, trailing, hardy, semi-hardy and frost hardy - to mention but a few, but none of them could properly be called fully hardy.

In my experience in my own garden most frost hardy Fuchsias will withstand temperatures down to about -4C to -5C.  They will lose their leafs in the Fall and a hard frost may cause die-back, but it is easy to trim out damaged stems in Spring, once signs of regrowth are seen, and a good deep mulch will not only keep moisture in during the summer, but protect the roots from a degree or two of frost during the winter.

So - yes, there are hardy, double flowered Fuchsias.  Some varieties you might look out for are:

'Annabel' - upright bush,large white flowers with slight pink flush, very free flowering.  Grows to about 1.5 feet by 2 feet

'Ballet Girl' - upright bush, cerise tubes and sepals and white corollas (upper petals) with cerise veining at the base.  Grows 1.5 feet by 3 feet

'Dollar Princess' (also known as 'Princess Dollar') - vigorous shrub bearing medium flowers, cerise tubes and deep purple corollas.  Grows to 1.5 feet x 2 feet

'Dark Eyes' - bushy, upright shrub.  Medium flowers with deep red tubes and deep violet-blue corollas.  Grows to 2 feet by 3 feet

These are four of my favorites growing in my garden - you will notice that they do not grow very high, but the stats that I have given are those shown on the official description and you may find (as I have) that these can vary, depending on where they are planted.  A sheltered position out of strong wind and some shade from hot sun are best.  They also like plenty of water and a feed of liquid fertilizer 2 or 3 times during the growing season is a good idea.

There are lots of other varieties of hardy, double flowered Fuchsias, so I'd encourage you to go down to your local plant outlet and check out the stock - the labels should give all the above information and more.

Once you get into Fuchsias they can become addictive - you'll find yourself seeking out new varieties (and not just hardy ones!) and experimenting with the pruning (different shapes and forms).  When you find yourself buying a specialist book on the subject, you'll know that you're lost!!

Good luck, have fun, enjoy!

Gill