can any one tell me when to or do we prune a dwarf standard fuchia took out of garden well before frost put in greenhouse is it the same as those in garden after frost has gone it looks so sad hope we havent killed it just getting into gardening after not having one for 15 years .brill site just getting uset to acom puter has well . tried to get computer classes they have amobile one but bus broke down tried to join one louth town but council closed that one sorry to waffle so if any mistakes bare with me.thanks again ::
I am no expert, but I suspect it does not matter. If you leave it outside they say leaving the foliage on gives it some protection from frost during the winter. I suspect this is by slowing the air down (like a fleece) - still cold is better than windy cold. But in a greenhouse it will be in still air anyway. However, they say you should do not divide plants when the plant is dormant, and I suspect the same goes for prunning. If you cut into living tissue you create a wound, which allows viruses etc to enter. When the plant is growing it heals these wounds fairly quickly. A dormant plant does not. So I would leave the pruning to spring. Though you could take off some of the clearly dead matter now so it took up less space.
Hi Gwen Like Peter says I would leave it until spring before pruning, then the amount that will die anyway if it has been frosted will be apparant. eg: fresh growth will start sprouting again in spring and then you can see where to prune away any dead or unwanted branches to get the shape you want A standard or half standard can die back to the roots in winter if left unprotected outside but if you took it in the greenhouse before frosts then the trunk should still be ok
Word of warning with fuchsias under glass - keep watering to the minimum if at all. They hate damp. I learnt that the hard way, by losing all my fuchsia cuttings brought with me when I moved the first winter under glass - and few others since however some of those were from white fly Now I overwinter tryphillas (bush not standard) under glass and they have not been watered since I brought them in in November when they got a dose of Pravada - and are now showing new growth. Last year I got really healthy plants doing exactly the same thing. They seem to get enough moisture from the damp :eek:
thanks all for your help now got anthor problem neighbour given us a hydrangea in a pot when do you but this into garden.
