Flowerhead, You appear to reside in Ohio so I think you should keep the fuchsia in a pot permanently. Doesn't matter whether it is a hanging basket or an upright pot. But I don't think a fuchsia will survive your winter.

Look at the description of your variety (on the label or look it up online) to determine if it is an upright or a hanging type.

I live in CA and have a much milder winter than yours. I have 2 fuchsias in the ground outside but both in a "protected area" and the other zillion are in pots & baskets and so move into the garage or way underneath the patio overhang in the winter. You have to provide winter protection.

p.s. Do you know why there isn't more traffic on this forum ?

Yeah, it's quiet in here. Fuchsias are such nice flower.

flowerhead, I've only successfully overwinterd the mail order hardy fuschia for two winters they just don't get enough size in my zone 6 gardens. I've taken to taking cuttings each year and overwintering them in an unheated mud room which does get to and below freezing but only over night. If the mother plant survives in the garden through the winter I usually get flowers in the cool fall weather and only a few. Plant it deep, mulch it in the winter, and try to plant it in a spot that is sheltered and may stay just a bit warmer (south wall?) near a foundation it may make it! I'd overwinter it inside the first winter to help it gain some size. The larger the plant the better the chance of it overwintering outside.
Hope that wasn't too long winded, BTW, I'm no fuschia expert here.

keep it in a pot

overwinter it in your garage

I'm from far north Columbus (Westerville) and I keep my fuchsias in pots, clay/terra cotta. I bring them in to winter over in my basement. I cut them back hard after they have started to drop leaves, and keep them under halide lights with my hibiscus, orchids, and begonias. I keep the fuchsia moist, but not wet. They do leaf out, but do not grow vigorously until the spring when I bring them from the basement to the backyard. Before I return them to the yard, I lift the plant from the pot and cut back the root ball so I can repot with new dirt and a hefty handful of slow release fertilizer. They grow vigorously and well all spring and summer long. I wouldn't chance trying to mother a fuchsia through a winter here in central Ohio. You can see a picture of a macchu piccu I've wintered in the basement for three years if you follow the link to my blog.

Here is a link that might be useful: Taking a sabbatical--the garden

'Hardy' fuchsias have only limited hardiness - most are only rated to zone 7 but a few will thrive in a zone 6 climate provided they get winter protection. I would not attempt inground planting in Ohio or anywhere below zone 6. Grow in a container (many cultivars make great container plants) and bring into a protected area that stays mostly above freezing for the winter.

Even in my very mild zone 8 climate, some selections of 'hardy' fuchsia will dieback to the roots in winter and less hardy (or half-hardy) types only survive in the mildest of winters. Remember, this is a plant that originates from semitropical environments.