I live in the Western Cape of South Africa. I’d like to plant a Cape fuchsia near a wall in a small garden. Can I do this without concern that the roots will lift the wall?
What we call Cape fuchsia over here is a shrubby perennial, not more than 4 feet tall in most cases. Its Latin name is Phygelius. It does tend to spread around the garden, and it is not easy to dig up its root system, but perhaps you may be talking about a different plant in the same family, Halleria lucida. Here it is sometimes called “tree fuchsia.” According to Pitta Joffe’s book Creative Gardening with Indigenous Plants: A South African Guide, Halleria lucida “has a non-aggressive root system,” so it is unlikely to damage your wall. Keep in mind that the mature size is about 6 meters in height and up to 5 meters in breadth, so planting it too close to a wall may not be ideal in the long run. Pitta Joffe highly recommends the tree because it attracts sunbirds and canaries with its nectar and many other birds with its fruit.