ABBOTT AWNINGS

Taken in very bright sunlight so a bit over exposed but I like the effect. This fuchsia grows outdoors all year round in a sheltered spot in my garden in North Cambridgeshire.

It propagates very easily from 4-6 inch cuttings taken in in July to mid August. I place the cuttings in one third horticultural( sharp) sand and two thirds potting compost and keep them damp but not soaking wet in a coldframe. They root well in about 3-6 weeks. Although this is a hardy variety young plants are not very hardy so for the first year I over winter them on a window sill indoors. I plant them out in late spring ( plant about 2 inches deeper in the ground than in the pot to give frost protection) I also put a 2 inch mulch of soil or leaves over the plant's base to give even more frost protection.

Once they've survived one winter outdoors the lower stems become quite woody and only a very bad winter will kill them. The outer shoots may die back due to frost. These can be pruned off in late spring and the plant should be in flower by early to mid July. It will them flower steadily until the first hard frosts.

It requires no dead heading so is the perfect flowering plant

It is typical of villages in Greece to have a huge perennial tree (usually a plane) in the central square, to make shade for those who want to rest.