Fuchsias - 2016

Just reviewed my 2015 Fuchsias , now with the huge multitude of Fuchsias it is difficult to remember which is which , but....
F.Windchimes - this blooms early and lasts all season. Superb performer in a shadey begonia basket


F. Cascade another V.good shade performer.
F. Deltas Sarah great hardy plant , already reviewed above.
Now the inevitable question , what is the care points for hardy Fuchsias over winter ? Do I cut them right back to about 6" around now ?

 

Hi Harry,

I'm presuming they're planted out in the ground.
If so, then do nothing with them now. The stems left on provide extra protection over the Winter. Plus it's easier to see where the new shoots are coming from in the Spring.
( By the way, if yours are like mine they're still growing ( slowly ) and throwing out the odd few flowers.)

 

@Anthony Rogers - it is unheated year round, so can get pretty chilly in winter, not really kept a check of temps though. Which would be hardiest and best candidate for success? Or is it not worth it? I'd not be bothered if it didn't flower through winter.

Regarding cutting back of hardy outdoor types. I generally leave the plants alone until early spring. I have experimented with cutting back to near ground level in early spring as well as not cutting back at all. I now cut back in spring depending on how big I want the plant to be as I've found that cutting back in spring makes for a shorter plant. Where I want larger F.s I don't cut back at all (unless it looks damaged or to shape) and find that you get a much larger plant and flowers much earlier than the ones that are cut back. Some fare better than others so, so you have to go with each variety to see what options you have regarding the 'to cut back or not' scenario.

GG

 

Hi GG,

Being an inside room I shouldn't imagine it would get much below 5 deg anyway.

These are the ones I would recommend............

These are hardies which being smaller flowered Cultivars do well indoors

Lady Thumb
Tom Thumb
Alice Hoffman

These are ones that regularly flower for me in an unheated room

Checkerboard
Cascade
Devonshire Dumpling
Genii
Royal Velvet ( my personal favourite )

For a foliage plant you could try

Tom West

These are the Cultivars that are recommended by the BFS for indoor growing

April
Baby Chang
Bambini
Beacon
Beacon Rosa
Chang
Christmas Elf
Display
Dollar Princess
Happy
Heidi Ann
Little Beauty
Minirose
Sandboy
Tom West

Space Shuttle flowers well in cooler conditions and one species, Fuchsia Splendens can be kept in flower all year round if kept cooler in Summer

I would imagine being S/SE facing you get the sun in there so I'd be prepared to try any of the above. ( Remember though in Summer they may need to stand on a gravel tray and require shading. )

 

Another couple have opened today.......

Royal Velvet



Checkerboard



I won't let these two flower anymore though now as they're my two best standards so I want to start forming this years head.

 

Thanks @Anthony Rogers that has given me a lot of options to experiment with. I have some starter plants of Genii and Dollar Princess I'd taken from cuttings so might bring those on and give them a go indoors when they have got a good start.

Was doing a bit of an inspection in the garden and seems most of mine have done well over winter. Dollar Princess looks worst off so cut it right back. Brutus looks like it is well ahead. And Paula Jane I think looks healthy enough. Funnily enough a few Genii I have look really bedraggled - strange since I generally find these tough as old boots.

Not seen Royal Velvet in the flesh before, is it somewhat like Dollar Princess?

Thanks again for the suggestions.

GG

 

Hi GG,

You're better off bringing them in now before they get too advanced.
The one thing they can do if you just bring an established plant in is to drop their leaves.

My Genii is doing well and still flowering.

Royal Velvet has much larger flowers than Dollar Princess and they are a deeper, richer colour. The main difference though is that Dollar Princess is hardy and Royal Velvet isn't.

 

my one and only.was a 6inch stalk when I got it and in 8 weeks its totally transformed.had it getting morning sun in the beginning but then we had a hell of a heatwave here and it got a little burned so moved it under the trees and now that the weather has changed and the rain has come its flowers have doubled in size.

 

" Space Shuttle " today...

 

's everyone and gawjus piccys too
im currently in love with a lovely web site called other fellow fuchsias https://otherfellow.co.uk/ they have lots of varieties and i think good prices i have sooo many in my wish list im beginng to think i need - Fuchsias are sooo addictive

 

This reminded me to have a look in the greenhouse today.

 

I tried over wintering mine on the windowsill.. but had a problem with those pesky flies so I put them all outside of the window for a few nights, had an unexpected frost and 2 perished! The other one I brought in, didn't seem too affected but one of the bloody cats knocked it over and it went down hill from there :( Have 2 hardy ones in the ground but time will tell, really need to cut one back. I love fuschias, especially the white and pinks but don't want to be buying new each year if I can help it!

 

I've just ordered these New Zeland fuchsia's
Excorticata,
Colensoi,
Procumbens
variegated Procumbens

 

These are my new ones for this year...................

Species.....

F. Fulgens Variegata
F. Perscandens

Species Crosses.....

Anneke de Keitzer
Bergnimf
Cotta Bright Star
Dominiyana
Frans von Zon
John Wright
Lechlade Bullet
Lechlade Violet
Maori Pipes
Niula
Nonchalance
Roger de Cooker
Shuna Lindsay
Tubular Bells
Wapenvelds Bloei
Walz Panfluit

Encliandra types.....

Little Jessica
Lottie Hobby
Neapolitan
Obcylin
Waldfee

Tryphilla types.....

Adinda
Catharina
Mantilla
Sparky

 

Just a few then Anthony! Any that really stand out for you?