The surprise success of the garden at the moment are the fuchsias. I don’t usually grow them (too much watering and dead heading required) but spotted a selection of £2 plants while out one day and decided to give them a try.

To minimise maintenance effort most of them are planted in “tomato” containers with water reservoirs at the bottom, and just a couple are in hanging baskets. They are planted in groups of three per pot and I’m amazed at how well they have done: they are all in full flower but those those in the reservoir containers are definitely the most prolific. The plants are enormous and laden with flowers.

My favourite fuchsia is one I grew from cuttings last September, but it is also the most delicate. We were in Scotland visiting the Haining Estate, home of the Dandie Dinmont terrier breed (c 1842) and discovered that there was a fuchsia variety named after it. There was a splendid specimen Dandie Dinmont fuchsia growing in the courtyard of the Haining Estate, next to the statue of Old Ginger in the courtyard. I carefully took some cuttings and although slow to take, they are now growing well and have finally started flowering. I will take more cuttings this season for a friend who is a keen Dandie Dinmont owner, and who will enjoy watching them grow. Always a real sucker for a good backstory….

The Haining Estate is in Selkirk on the Scottish Borders.