Hi. I expect my problem is the same as a lot of members. My tender fuchsias are only really coming into themselves with lots of buds only just starting to open. Others are in full bloom and it October 14th!! Normally November is the month I put them in garage ready to prepare them for overwintering. Some are in pots so no problem even thought they are just blooming in garage but they will have very little light. Others are in borders so have to dig them up,again they are just coming into full bloom so disturbing them may stop them blooming. I did one year put them in greenhouse in their pots as I thought frost was on its way but they were still going strong in December and no frost but cannot take a chance. Any advice on what course to take? I know you can keep an eye on weather forecast but how many times have they been wrong!! No frost they say and next morning frosty. Today they forecasy heavy rain from noon,no rain just sun. I know it almost makes you cry sometimes to cut all the flowers off for overwintering but that is normally when they are coming to the end of flowering not the start. Thanks for any input
Which area are you in? How old are the plants? How many of each variety do you wish to keep? Have you thought of selecting the best as an indoor flowering shrub. Two years ago I moved house in January. New house had neither shed or greenhouse (Then!), but does have a bow fronted window on Northern face. My collection of overyeared fuschias were packed under the window outside and all survived. They were pruned back quite severely to move.
Its not often that the first frost is a killer frost, it usually kills off foliage and flowers but the plant isn't often killed. The Dahlia growers know that and wait until the first frost has blackened the foliage before cutting back and digging up. Surely by now the fuchsia season is pretty much over , although they wont stop flowering until you cut them back or they get frosted.
I just left my tender Fuchsias in last winter (mainly because I didn't know any better) and they all survived just fine. I will do the same this winter.
At present I have a half dozen different Fuchsias still blooming on the balcony railings! I have taken cutting from each of them but I don't really expect them to root! I've been having trouble the last few years rooting them. Though I do have one, 'Beacon', that I've had for many years now which I get to root every year without much trouble. I have had some success overwintering them in a plastic mini-greenhouse on the balcony but I've lost lots of Fuchsias over the years. The ones on the railings I mat put in the kitchen as it's the lightest room in the flat. Though I think I'd need a shoehorn to fit them in! . . This one is in a wicker hanging basket where it survived the winter last year! . . This came from a plant that was a cutting last year in a big pot n the balcony & survived the winter as well! . . This one is supposed to be hardy & it's on its 2nd year with me. I managed to get some cutting of this plant. . . One of the cuttings flowering on the railings close to its mother! . . Here is another cutting that I'm training to be a standard for the balcony next year.Though it has a few flowers they won't matter. It's more a case of keeping the plant alive & growing slowly over the winter ready for it's growth spurt next year. .
All our Fuchsias are still blooming well and unless a frost is predicted I leave the tender ones in the borders until the end of Oct/ beg. of Nov.. As I trim / tidy them up I put some of the cuttings into water and they get put on the utility room window sill for most of the winter or until their roots are very well developed, then they get potted up and returned to the window sill until it warms up enough to put them in the cold frame or greenhouse ( which ever had a space). I should really try and resist taking anymore cuttings as I have plenty of plants....but the temptation always proves too great.
I quite agree with you @Upsydaisy re the taking of more cutting when you already have more plants than you know what to do with! I'm just as bad! I can't stand to throw plant material away if it's not dead or otherwise!
