Is A Fuchsia A Good Tree For Bonsai?

Fuchsia is a small flowering shrub that is very popular in gardens and it is grown for its instantly recognisable two tone purple flowers.

There are thousands of varieties, which will offer you different colours and size of flowers, as well as different hardiness levels, which can really affect how useful they are for bonsai. A lot of varieties are not suitable, but if you can find a hardy version, you can work with them.

Is Fuchsia A Good Species for Bonsai?

Fuchsia is not that common in bonsai, but you can find some examples, it seems that people prefer to focus on other species over the fuchsia.

They are naturally quite small trees and they look great when they are in flower.

They have a lot of other attributes that work really well for bonsai. They are tough as well as being very aggressive growers. They can also get quite nice bark after a while. They do have the problem of taking a long time to thicken which means they are hard to make into bigger trees and are probably best suited as smaller bonsai.

They can also be hard to wire, but over all they are not the worst tree for bonsai. I am surprised they are not used more often. You can easily find them in garden centres at a low price. I think the issue is that a lot of them are not cold hardy and will often die right back to the base of the trunk when it gets too cold, which is not exactly conducive to bonsai.

However, there are plenty of varieties that are fully hardy and these are the types that can be used for bonsai and you can get some good results using this species.      

Is A Fuchsias Foliage Good For Bonsai?

The foliage is nothing spectacular, but the leaves work fine for bonsai. The flowers are the main reason they are grown in gardens, but getting these on bonsai can be quite hard. They grow at the end of shoots, which you would normally trim back when growing the tree as bonsai. So really you need to let them grow out to get the flowers, which is going to make your tree look long and leggy, which is not ideal for bonsai.

Leaf Size

The leaves are naturally small and will reduce down in size with proper techniques. However, the flowers will not reduce in size. For a lot of the varieties this will really not matter to much as they are generally quite small anyway, but for some, they can be large and they can look a little out of proportion when they are on a bonsai.

Internode Length

Like the leave size, the internode length is naturally quite tight and it will reduce further when you use proper techniques. This is exactly what you want from a tree you are using as bonsai and it will allow you to build up some good foliage.

You can find that some shoots will fire out quite quickly and end up being long and leggy, with large internodes. These are usually advantageous shoots that come from the base, so they will usually be removed so it’s not a problem that they are long and leggy.

If you are pruning a tree properly you should find the internode length is ideal for bonsai use.

Is Fuchsias Growth Rate Good For Bonsai?

Fuchsias are pretty fast growing. They may be small shrubs, but they are aggressive growers. 

Response To Pruning

I have found fuchsia to respond well to pruning. They grow quickly and can very easily get long and leggy, so you will have to prune them often. They will shoot new branches where you prune, so can easily build a good branch structure.

Back Budding

They also back bud very easily. You will find they throw a lot of shoots from low down on the trunk, these are useless for bonsai, but the fact that they do back bud is very helpful and can allow you to develop a decent bonsai with time.

You will also find advantageous shoots all over the tree, so you will be constantly removing these.

Ramification

Fuchsia will ramify well. A branch that is well pruned will sub divide and also reduce its internode length and grow finer branching, which is exactly what you want. This can allow you to build lots of dense ramification.

Is A Fuchsias Styling Ability Good For Bonsai?

As the fuchsia is a small shrub, more than a tree (although it sometimes called a small tree) it means that it does not really have a natural style.

This means it is a blank canvas you can you style it anyway you want. As it is deciduous, I would suggest you lean towards a style that would suit this type of tree better.   

Wiring

You can wire fuchsia, but I have found it to be difficult. The branches can become stiff and brittle once they harden off, which means the second you try and bend them, they will snap. The bark is also very easy to damage.

You are probably going to have better success using clip and growth techniques to give the branches movement and to get them in the general direction that you need.

You can then try and wire the branch by moving it slightly into place, rather than trying to create radical movement. You can still build a good bonsai without wire.

Is A Fuchsias Fall Colours Good For Bonsai?

Most fuchsias are deciduous, but they are not known for their autumn colours. They just sort of turn yellow and quickly drop off. It is very forgettable and nothing to look forward to, but that is okay, not all bonsai need to be great all year round.   

Is A Fuchsias Winter Silhouette Good For Bonsai?

The fact that the leaves do drop means you get a look at the winter silhouette and can admire the structure of the tree and really examine that interesting bark as well as identify all the advantageous shoots that you do not need.

Is A Fuchsias Bark Good For Bonsai?

The bark on fuchsias is lovely. It is a light brown colour and actually is quite thin and papery. It will actually start to peel off as the tree grows, which looks very cool and makes for a very interesting bonsai.

However, this thinness is not good for scars and wounds. The bark can be easily damaged and it can take a long time to heal. The last time I repotted, I gripped the trunk (not even that hard) with my index finger and thumb and managed to rub the bark off exposing the green layer underneath.   

Deadwood Opportunities

I have not really played around with deadwood on fuchsias, but the wood appears to be quite soft when it dies, so it is probably not going to work well. However, if you have a particularly thick trunk, I could see some deadwood on the trunk working, such as some carved hollows, I think that would look really good.

Are A Fuchsias Roots Good For Bonsai?

The roots on a fuchsia are excellent for bonsai. They are extremely aggressive growers and you will probably need to repot often.  

You will get some thick roots, but mostly they are quite fine, but they are also very delicate. I have found that trying to rake them out results in most of them ripping off, even when you are being gentle. The last time I repotted mine I did not need to trim the roots as I had basically done this when raking.

The good news is that they will grow back easily, but building a long lasting root structure may be difficult as they so not seem to harden off as quickly as a normal tree. However, I have started to get some very nice root flare on my tree, which is always a good thing for bonsai. 

Is Fuchsia Easy To Care For As Bonsai?

Fuchsias are not difficult to look after. They just need the basics and they will grow like crazy. So long as they have plenty of light and water they will be fine.

The biggest problem with their care is over wintering them. If you have a fully hardy version, like me, you don’t need to do anything. If you have a variety that cannot handle the cold, you will need to protect it. Fuchsias will die right back to the base if they get caught in a cold they cannot handle. This means anything you might have developed as a bonsai will be gone overnight. 

I think this is why people are not so keen to use them as bonsai, but if you have a hardy version, you’ve nothing to worry about.

Conclusion

Fuchsia can make good bonsai. If you have one, go for it. I don’t think they are the top tier of trees you should seek out. There are plenty of better suited trees for bonsai, but really fuchsias are not that bad. You can definitely work with them.

I am enjoying mine and I think it has some potential and the flowers are certainly lovely. I probably wouldn’t recommend you go hunting for one, but if you come across one don’t turn it down, they are alright.