Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Mrs Popple Fuchsia, Hardy Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' (Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple').

More about fuchsia 'mrs popple'

About Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple'

Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' · also called Mrs Popple Fuchsia, Hardy Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' · flowering

Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' is a hardy, vigorous upright hybrid fuchsia producing a profusion of single flowers with scarlet-crimson sepals and rich violet-purple corollas from midsummer until first frosts. It is one of the hardiest named fuchsia cultivars, surviving outdoors year-round in much of the UK if given a sheltered position. Fuchsia is ASPCA non-toxic.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Poor flowering in shade: Too much shade reduces flower production. Move to a position with at least a few hours of direct morning light.

The reasons fuchsia 'mrs popple' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming fuchsia 'mrs popple' traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding fuchsia 'mrs popple' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get fuchsia 'mrs popple' to flower

Maximise sun. Give fuchsia 'mrs popple' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for fuchsia 'mrs popple' and get the feeding right with the fuchsia 'mrs popple' fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full fuchsia 'mrs popple' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my fuchsia 'mrs popple' flower?

Fuchsia 'Mrs Popple' blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make fuchsia 'mrs popple' bloom?

Give fuchsia 'mrs popple' the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does fuchsia 'mrs popple' normally bloom?