FUCHSIA'S - 2015

Hi Mowgley,
I presume your kitchen is kept pretty warm so as long as they're in a light place you could trim them back a bit harder, I would still try and avoid going into the wood though. With Boliviana you may even get some flowers and fruit during the Winter.

 

Thx @Anthony Rogers
Problems is that there around the 3ft mark so kitchen window still is out of the question
As they are a evergreen species would It be possible to cut most of the growth to say 2 buds above any woody stems and use the offcuts as cuttings or would it be too stressful on the plant

 

Hi Mowgley,

I've just had a look at mine and there's a definite change of colour on the stems where it's turning about 6/8" below the tips. I reckon you'd be alright cutting off about 2/3 leaf joints above the change to woody growth.

Using the offcuts as cuttings is a good idea. They should root easily at this time of year.

Any chance of a pic at all ?

 

My fuchsias are more decorative now than in summer:

 

I'll get some tomorrow night when I'm in from work
Got the denticulta As well I forgot about

 

F. Denticulata is a little more frost tolerant, so, if you run out of room in your kitchen this could go somewhere slightly cooler.
One thing to remember about this one is that Autumn into early Winter is a main flowering period. So I'd only cut it back if it was really necessary, otherwise wait till it finishes around another couple of months time.

 

I have Hawkshead in a pot at the moment but would like to plant it out, would it be comfortable in a sandy soil please?

 

Hi Sheal,

It should be fine as they like a well draining soil.
It wouldn't be happy being planted out now though, and you'd probably lose it. They send down a tap-root which helps them survive and unfortunately there's not enough time for it to do that now. How big is it's pot ? I have some that have survived for about three years now in pots that are about 8".
To be honest, I've not done any preparation yet on my hardies. When I do, I usually just put a bit of old duvet over the pots around the base of the stems and weight it down with pebbles or gravel. Also, don't prune them hard as the stems can offer protection.
Another idea would be to plant something like winter Pansies or Polyanthus around them as these offer protection above ground ( the leaves ) and below ground ( their roots etc are above the Fuchsias, so offer another layer ).

 

It's a mature plant Anthony, the only picture I have, below, doesn't really show the size. The pot is about 24 to 26 inches across and about 30 inches in depth so the plant itself is pretty near fully grown.



I made the mistake of pruning it last year and it took ages to recover from that, lesson learnt. The climate is mild here during the winter months so I don't mulch or fleece any plants whether they're in the ground or pots. Any plants in pots smaller than 6 inches go into the greenhouse.

 

I think that will be fine Sheal.
I've got about seven that size and they've been out for three or four years now, I don't even put anything over them.

 

PS.... Just checked " Hawkshead " is hardy to - 10. So I don't think there should be a problem

 

So do you think it's to late to plant out? If I leave it until spring it'll probably delay flowering.

 

Sorry, definitely too late, leave it in it's pot till Spring.

You shouldn't delay flowering as they flower on new wood, so once it's planted out it will start growing it's new stems whether it's in a pot or in the ground.

 

Thanks for the info Anthony, Spring it is then.

 

I've moved my small tender ones into the greenhouse where they are flowering. I haven't watered them, should I keep them damp until they lose their leaves or let them dry out a bit?