Hi @oxleydowns,
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.
This can happen quite easily, even when plants are bought at the same time and planted together. Plants are living things, and they do not always respond the same way to changes, even when conditions seem identical.
One common reason is that one plant may have been weaker to begin with. It could have had a smaller root system, some root damage, or stress before you purchased it. These issues are often not visible at the time of sale but become obvious after planting.
Water stress is another frequent cause, especially in hanging baskets. Baskets dry out quickly and unevenly, and one plant can dry out faster than the other. If one plant could not take up water efficiently, it may have dried out and declined while the other continued to grow.
Environmental factors can also play a role. Differences in sun exposure, heat, wind, or airflow can affect one plant more than the other, even in the same basket. Some plants are simply less tolerant of stress than others.
There are a few possible causes, and without more information, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what happened. If you are able to share more details about where the basket is positioned, how often it is watered, and some photos of both plants and the potting mix, it would help narrow it down.
If you need a hand uploading images, please let me know so I can assist.
Assuming your fuschias were not seedlings at the time of purchase, and they were purchased in the last 12 months, you will be covered by our Perfect Plant Promise, so you can return the dead plant to your store of purchase for a refund or replacement.
Let me know what you think.
Jacob
